Amberley Beach’s potential lifeline against rising seas

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

A proposal to build a coastal bund to protect Amberley Beach in Canterbury from rising sea levels has received support from the Hurunui District Council.

Councillors agreed in principle to support a residents’ proposal to debt fund some of the cost of building a new protection bund, at a council meeting on Tuesday.

A bund is a type of embankment which protects against the sea.

The proposal followed the council’s adoption of the Amberley Beach Coastal Adaptation Plan in June last year to protect the 109 properties in the beach settlement from sea level rise and coastal erosion.

‘‘The adaptation plan looks at a bund as the primary option in the short to medium term,’’ chief executive Hamish Dobbie said.

‘‘By agreeing in principle to approving debt funding, it will give the community some certainty as they move forward.’’

He said the residents approached the council with a proposal to increase their targeted rate from $252 to $304 a year.

Initial estimates suggested a new bund would cost between $450,000 and $650,000.

The new bund was expected to have a life of 30 years and would be more durable than the existing gravel bund, which was built in 1993.

‘‘The plan is to build a bund with a wearable base, which can be rebuilt from the back,’’ Dobbie said.

A fund has been established from the existing targeted rate, which would leave a shortfall of between $120,000 to $320,000.

Dobbie said the proposed increase to the targeted rate was expected to pay off the loan over 10 years.

He said the council would seek Government funding to offset the loan.

‘‘There are several national funds we could apply for, but the beach community is not an incorporated society, so the council would need to apply on its behalf.’’

South ward councillors Pauline White and Vanessa McPherson praised the Amberley Beach residents for being ‘‘proactive’’ in coming up with solutions.

‘‘This is a really proactive community which has taken it upon themselves to protect themselves,’’ White said.

‘‘This community has been proactive in seeking out the best engineering design and materials to make this project work.’’

The targeted rate for the Amberley Beach bund was set by the council each year, based on a recommendation from the residents.

The coastal adaptation plan has a clause where residents would need to consider another option, such as ‘‘proactive relocation’’, if the targeted rate for the bund exceeded $750 per household per year.

A report will be presented to the council for approval, once the final cost of the new bund has been established.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.