Grave fears of added insult

I have grave fears for the long-term viability of the Ettalong Beachfront if the Tesrol proposal is approved by the Department of Planning or ultimately by the Minister.

That our elected and compulsorily voted for local council can be over-ridden by the Department of Planning is another issue for another day.

This proposed development is of such an inappropriately large scale that should it be approved will ultimately add to the degradation of the pristine family picnic area that is Ettalong Beach.

From what I have seen, there is little difference in the current plan to that which council rejected previously.

The size and bulk of this proposed building will add to the architectural insult to this beautiful, scenic coastal precinct that is the Ettalong Memorial Club/Mantra Resort.

This building due to its huge size, shape and position, has caused such alarm and dismay in the local community as it is sited on the beachfront in an area of great natural beauty and dominates the views from all directions.

The Tesrol Ettalong Beach proposal will, if approved, form another piece in a wall of buildings along the beachfront and as such is likely to cause serious changes to the wind and wave patterns along the beachfront area and could help to seriously erode the beach sand.

This has been the case in nearby areas of the Northern Beaches where similar developments are now the subject of much concern especially with rising sea levels and associated beach erosion which is threatening their viability and will ultimately cause councils, in areas such as these, huge expenditures in a Canute-like effort to keep back the tide.

There have been pleas from residents of these buildings for councils to act to protect their assets and councils have naturally declined.

I trust the Department of Planning will reject this development unless it wants this area to become another area of environmental degradation - the ultimate example of which is Waikiki Beach in Honolulu where sand has to be constantly imported (from NSW apparently) and Noosa Heads where man interfered with nature and built too close to the beachfront.

At Noosa, a huge stone groin has been built into the sea which has affected wave patterns and where now a huge pump needs to operate 24 hours a day to replenish the sand of the beach.

It is now acknowledged as one of Australia's environmental catastrophes.

These examples show that beachfront land must be treated with utmost respect and cannot be interfered with or changed in ways that make money for developers in the relatively short term but which may deplete councils' resources as a result of climate change.

Whatever happens, councils and governments generally are facing huge and unknown but substantial costs in dealing with these issues.

No developments should be allowed that may affect, however slightly, the natural environment - especially critical areas such as the Ettalong Beach front which is at present a bulwark and natural barrier to the sea protecting all of the low lying areas behind such as Ettalong, Umina, Woy Woy and other areas bordering the sea and Brisbane Water.

Email, 12 May 2010 Lance Dover, Pretty Beach