DEAR News Of The Area,

TRANSPORT for NSW has issued an update on the Boat Ramp Upgrade dated November 2022 which states that consideration is being given to disposing of sand extracted from the harbour onto Park Beach.

In principle, I support this concept.

They claim they have “consulted extensively with key stakeholder groups about the option of beach nourishment in some designated areas at Park Beach”.

Who are these groups?

Why haven’t the beach users been consulted?

We need to ensure that any sand that is placed on Park Beach is well to the north of the Surf Club and spread along the beach to avoid the problems encountered previously when large quantities of sand were deposited in front of the surf club.

This resulted in a serious loss of beach amenity on Coffs Harbour’s premier surfing beach and the choking of the entrance to Coffs Creek, both of which were predictable and preventable.

The State Government needs to consult and communicate more effectively and sort out these technical coastal process issues including the siltation at the boat ramp and the Harbour generally.

Regards,
Bruce FIDGE,
Civil/Coastal Engineer (retired).