Hastings ratepayers to fund 100-metre rock revetment wall in Haumoana

Hastings ratepayers will fund the building of a 100-metre rock revetment wall in Haumoana next month.

The wall will be constructed to protect Cape View Corner at the intersection of East, Beach and Clifton Roads from erosion.

Resource consent for the work is now approved and it will be funded through the Hastings District Council the 2020/2021 Annual Plan, with $600,000 set aside for the project.

HDC and Hawke's Bay Regional Council have signed off on consents for the 100m long wall that will be built from large limestone rocks.

It will be similar to the revetment wall at Clifton Beach.

Construction is expected to begin May 10 and the laying of a solid foundation for the rocks will take eight weeks.

A cycleway, parking developments and landscape planting will be undertaken when the wall is finished.

Hastings District Council said Cape View Corner is a "vital connection" for residents of East Haumoana, Te Awanga and Clifton.

Heretaunga ward councillor Ann Redstone said the community has been calling for some kind of coastal protection for a number of years and it was pleasing that the "long-awaited" project would soon be under way.

"This area is considered one of the most at-risk areas of the Hawke's Bay coastline in terms of inundation and erosion, exacerbated by climate change, large seasonal swells and the overall rise in the sea level," Redstone said.

"Thousands of people, both locals and visitors, use the stretch of road along the coast year-round – it's a gateway to the iconic tourist attraction of Cape Kidnappers, and also a well-used thoroughfare for locals."