Emergency rock wall to protect Clifton coast near Hastings

Clifton Marine Club president Paul Hursthouse is happy the council has approved a proposal to build an emergency wall to protect the Clifton campground and access road. Photo / File

An emergency limestone rock wall is to be installed along the Clifton Beach coastline to protect the area over winter, ahead of a decision on a $1 million revetment.

The revetment was consulted on in the 2017/18 plan with 76 submissions in support and one against.

Because of that opposition, a formal hearing was required but due to delays in putting through the resource consent application it was postponed, now to be held on June 6.

If approved it was estimated that after the tender process construction could begin in October or November this year.

At a Hastings District Council planning and regulatory committee meeting yesterday, councillors were told that storms over the past month had compromised the access road, with a fence beside that road moved inland so people could safely navigate the road.

Planning and regulatory group manager John O'Shaughnessy said local landowner Angus Gordon was now not prepared to allow that fence to be pushed back any further, which left the council with two options.

One was to do nothing, which would mean likely closing the access road to the Clifton campground while awaiting the revetment resource consent hearing, with the campground leasee guiding people across Gordon's land.

The other option was to take up an offer from the Clifton Marine Club and Clifton Reserve Society to fund and organise the building of a $96,000 1200m emergency wall, with the rocks incorporated into the revetment should it be approved.

In a report to the meeting council officers recommended that councillors relocate the camp access road rather than build the emergency wall.

Chief executive Ross McLeod said, however, the situation had changed since Gordon told the council he did not want further encroachment on to his land until the outcome of the revetment process was known.

As such rather than officers making the decision, he said he wanted to bring the issue back to councillors to decide whether to approve the emergency wall option.

After much discussion about the risk to council, the risk to public safety from ongoing erosion, and the benefits of having the road open for the many visitors that used the area, councillors agreed to authorise the proposed emergency works to be undertaken as soon as possible.

Clifton Marine Club president Paul Hursthouse attended the meeting along with other marine club and Clifton Reserve Society members, and told councillors how important it was to keep the road open in terms of tourism as well as visitor rescues performed from the boat ramp.

He said afterwards that he was very pleased the council had approved the work, and construction of the emergency wall could potentially start in two weeks time.