Repairing coastal damage will be ongoing process

Publish Date : 04 Apr 2018
Coastal damange at Hudsons Beach seawall.
Auckland Council is working hard to repair storm damage in Franklin, including the coastal damange at Hudsons Beach seawall.
Coastal damage post the storm at Clarks Beach
Auckland Council is working hard to repair damage at Clarks Beach.

The summer’s wild weather has seen parts of Franklin hit with a number of storms, resulting in a large amount of coastal erosion and damage to facilities on beaches.

Local board chair Angela Fulljames says repair work will be ongoing well into 2018.

“We are putting significant effort into ensuring our coastal areas are safe and able to withstand what nature throws at them,” she says.

“This type of weather is not going away and a lot of infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose.”

Agnes McCormack, Auckland Council Head of Operational Management and Maintenance, says there were 16 coastal erosion cases reported in the Franklin Local Board area following the storms on 4 and 5 January and her team has been working hard to make these sites safe.

“Council contractors have made all of the sites safe and will continue to monitor these measures,” she says.

“The operations team is now working with the council’s Coastal and Geotechnical Services team to prioritise sites according to risk.

"Some of these sites still require structural and geotechnical inspections to confirm the scope of required repairs.”

“High-priority projects in Franklin include the Maraetai wharf, Hudsons Beach Seawall and Clarks Beach Seawall,” Ms McCormack says.

Some repair work has been delayed because building and landscaping materials have been unavailable, but work on high priority projects will start soon.

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