Video footage of last week’s high tide lapping over sandbags near Manfred Street at Belongil has been sent to Byron Shire councillors and staff.
Belongil resident and Byron Preservation Association (BPA) vice-president John Vaughan emailed them the footage and is calling for a review to replace the current interim works currently being carried out on the shoreline.
He claims the footage shows ‘the orientation of the geobags is still contrary to the consent and is 90 degrees out of the correct alignment as approved in the DA in all locations’.
Mr Vaughan also added, ‘The compromised and damaged condition of the interim works since May 2009, particularly at the base levels, is common at all four of the interim work sites at Belongil Beach. It proves BPA’s repeated claim of Council’s failure to monitor and maintain/rebuild as required in the interim wall consent conditions. ‘The BPA considers that a quick inspection at low tide would reveal to any councillor the very compromised state of the interim works,’ he said.
The erosion, according to Mr Vaughan, is ‘by more than three metres from its recent higher profile pre the mid June event’.
‘Council’s Jonson Street works are trapping sand and preventing the natural recovery rate at Belongil Beach. The beach profile at Belongil is lower than it would have been in the beach’s natural state.’
Mr Vaughn says he has also lodged a recent complaint to the NSW ombudsman regarding ‘council’s failure to conform to the consent conditions which outlines the current state of repair of the interim works’.
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