REDLAND CITY COUNCIL RESPONDS TO OUR STORY REGARDING MASSIVE FORESHORE EROSION ADJACENT TO MACLEAY ISLAND BARGE RAMP
The Redland City Council has responded to the ‘crisis’ that involves massive erosion on the Macleay Island waterfront.
The Friendly Bay Islander highlighted the critical situation in our March edition.
Wave activity generated by more than 100 marine movements a day have been pounding the embankment for years.
Both council and State Government authorities have ignored pleas for the matter to be addressed.
In recent times, even bigger slices of the embankment have fallen away and, from current observations, another major avalanche is soon predicted that will take away a stairway that was erected many years ago.
Two property owners are severely impacted, Jim Annan and Shane Hatchett.
They say continual letters and pleas for the situation to be addressed has fallen on ‘deaf ears’.
The Friendly Bay Islander has addressed the situation and has put the matter to our State Member of Parliament Kim Richards and Cr Mark Edwards.
There seems little clarity as to which level of Government is responsible.
We submitted a ‘formal’ approach to Redland City Council and we received this response from a council ‘spokesperson’:
“Redlands Coast has more than 335km of coastline and in 2021 Council adopted a Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy to provide a plan for its long-term management.
“Council has commissioned a vessel wash study by a coastal engineer to determine if vessels using the Macleay Island barge ramp are contributing to erosion of the adjacent embankment.
“This study, which is expected to be finalised soon, will guide future actions.
“Council is working with the Department of Environment and Science in relation to this issue.
“Generally, landowners who own properties directly on the bay are responsible for any foreshore protection works that benefit their land.
“Council provides comprehensive information and guidance to landowners to help them undertake coastal protection works and ultimately it is the landowners’ responsibility to undertake these works.” the spokesperson added.
• This section of the Macleay embankment is in danger of collapsing!