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21 September 1999 |
High sand dunes at North Beach are to be lowered and reshaped from Wednesday 22 September 1999.
The dunes are unstable and encroaching on to Marine Parade, The lowering and reshaping will start tomorrow, with the removal of about 8000 cubic metres of sand over a week to 10 days.
This will mean there will be a considerable amount of excess sand. But it will not be wasted.
In the past the excess sand was pushed into the sea, but now it will be carted to the site of the New Brighton Road expressway development as a base for the road.
A Christchurch City Council Coast Care supervisor, Rodney Chambers, says the shallow and eroded front slopes of the dunes allowed wind-blown sand to be transported up their front slopes and over the top of the dune, smothering vegetation behind and entering properties.
"This has long been identified as a safety hazard and an erosion problem by local residents," Mr Chambers says.
The reshaping and sand removal is the first stage of an on-going landscape development for this section of beachfront dunes, he says.
Improvements will include landscaping, picnic areas, parking, and walking tracks across and along the dunes.
Dunes will be lowered by about 3m to 4m to 8m above mean sea level.
Mr Chambers says the newly shaped dunes will improve safety for pedestrians, particularly children, who tended to run down the steep back slopes and straight into traffic.
Further information:
Rodney Chambers: Coast Care Supervisor:
382 1678
NB: For photographic purposes it is expected that machinery will be starting to removed sand from about 10am on the beach near the North Beach Surf Club building, between Leaver Terrace and Cygnet Street.