Help sought for erosion barrier

Press, 9 May 1980, Page 10

Help sought for erosion barrier

The legality of helping to finance foreshore, protection for 14 seaside properties at Southshore will be studied by Christchurch City Council solicitors.

Landowners have agreed to build a sea protection barrier of boulder-filled drums, laced together, south of Tern Street, but they want help to pay for the necessary materials, which will cost $20,000. ’ Further south, at the Spit — a council reserve —■ the council itself is considering doing public-funded work to strengthen the sandhills against sea encroachment. “This is a first line of defence,” the City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular) said of the landowners’ plan. It would not be particularly strong, but would withstand most batterings. Combined with council works, it would reach the end of the Spit. Cr D. C. Close said that he believed the council could spend public money on private property only if the work had some advantage to the city. The $20,000 for materials would include $12,000 for 3000 drums, $6OOO for boul-

ders, and $2OOO for. wire and other materials.

Manual work done by the residents might cost $40,000 if done by a contractor, said a report by the chairman of the works and traffic committee (Cr Newton Dodge). Properties could not be protected in isolation from one another, because that would only cause erosion problems for those not protected.