Emergency wall work complete

Emergency measures to repair erosion caused by recent high seas have been completed, with 400 tonne of rock laid along the worst affected stretches.

Pounding seas took out two 20 metre chunks of coast, one in front of the Clifton Marine Club boat ramp; the other between the existing sea wall in front of Clifton Camp and the Clifton Café.

Two hundred tonne of limestone boulders had been placed in each area.

Construction had taken four days, after permission for the emergency work was granted to Hastings District Council by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

It was always difficult working on the sea’s edge, said Hastings District Council planning and regulatory manager John O'Shaughnessy.

“It has to be done between high tides and the preparation of health and safety planning was paramount.”

Last week high tides were in the middle of the day, so work could only be carried out in the early mornings and late afternoons.

The walls would help defend the two areas against further sea swells expected over the rest of winter.

In the meantime, Council was in the process of lodging a resource consent application with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to build a 380m sea wall, stretching from in front of the camp to in front of the Clifton Café. It would be for a term of 35 years.

As part of this year’s Annual Plan process, Council consulted with the public on whether to proceed with an application to build the wall. The proposal attracted almost 3000 public responses, with 72 per cent either in favour of the plan or neutral.

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