City says coastal work will pause over peak period

The City of Busselton confirmed it would undertake a series of coastal strengthening projects at multiple locations along the Geographe Bay coastline during November, February and March, but the works would not affect beach usage over the December-January peak tourism period.

Works will include upgrade of sections of footpaths to double as levees, dune stabilisation and planting of new vegetation to be undertaken with the onset of winter.

At its October meeting, the City of Busselton Council awarded tenders to local businesses BCP Contractors Pty Ltd and Earth and Stone WA to undertake this program of works at various locations.

“The City has been successful in securing federal grants worth several million dollars to deliver a significant program of works in response to the ongoing risks of coastal erosion,” Mayor Phill Cronin said.

“To determine the projects which will offer the greatest protection, some of this grant funding has been used to undertake marine tide monitoring, annual coastal mapping and sourcing advice from expert coastal engineers.

“This is another step forward for the City in delivering protection for the City of Busselton and mitigating the risks that coastal communities can experience with storms and sea level rise.”

The City said funding had been sourced from the Australian Government’s National Emergency Management Agency ‘Preparing Australian Communities Program’ to deliver projects totalling $3,532,500.

The City has contributed matching funding as required through the grant agreement and to ensure optimal solutions can be delivered for the City of Busselton’s community.

It said there would be no works undertaken during the December and January tourism season, “so residents and beach users will continue to have full enjoyment of the City’s beaches at this time”.

For more info visit www.busselton.wa.gov.au/resident/environment/coastal-management.aspx