The Entrance North beach brosion at 21 Hargraves Street.

7 May 2025

 

THE Entrance North has been experiencing significant coastal erosion, particularly after recent severe weather events. This erosion has led to landslips, impacts on beachfront properties, and concerns about access to the beach. Some residents fear for the future of their homes, with some suggesting the situation is the worst they've seen in decades.

 

Mr Mehan pursued this through the following two avenues to address the ongoing problem:

 

Requested Central Coast Council on 9 April that such works be allowed under s124 of the Local Government Act (this has been done by Northern Beaches Council). This was declined on 23 April.

 

*Requested the Local Emergency Management Committee on 2 May that such works should be allowed. This was declined to Mr Mehan verbally on 3 May as the 'emergency had passed'.

 

While Council has the power to authorise works under s124, their preferred pathway is via the Coastal Management Act (CM Act).

 

For The Entrance North, enacting the CM Act pathway is expensive and timely due to the absence of a Coastal Management Plan. Instead, residents need to go through the Regional Planning Panel process.

 

"Residents have long been asking for permission to undertake coastal protection works on their properties at their own expense," said Mr Mehan.

 

"Council should allow the authorisation of s124. I believe it's high time that this was granted."

 

In light of Mr Mehan's representations to Central Coast Council, the Council held an extra ordinary meeting last night (6 May), Central Coast Council resolved to write to the Premier of NSW, Chris Minns, to urgently request the declaration of a State of Emergency for the areas of The Entrance North and Wamberal Beach.

 

In the letter to the Premier, Council will say the coastal erosion currently impacting these areas has reached a critical level, posing a significant and widespread danger to life and property.

 

Central Coast Council Acting Mayor Doug Eaton said the situation has deteriorated to the point where several houses are at imminent risk of collapsing into the sea.

 

“The severity of the erosion has been documented in independent reports commissioned by property owners from Coastal and Geotechnical engineers. These reports have also been given to the Premier with Council’s letter.

 

“Given the urgency and gravity of the situation, Council is requesting the Premier take immediate action and declare the requested State of Emergency by 3.00pm Friday 9 May 2025.

 

“Council is also intending on calling an additional Extraordinary Council Meeting, next Tuesday, 13 May 2025, to deal with this matter should a declaration not be made by the Premier,” Acting Mayor Eaton said.

 

At the Extraordinary Council meeting tonight, Council resolved in part:

 

• Calls on the Premier of NSW to declare a state of emergency due to severe coastal erosion across Central Coast beaches posing significant, widespread and ongoing risk to lives and property.

 

• Requests an urgent meeting with the Premier, relevant state Ministers and relevant Federal Government representatives, the Mayor, the CEO and interested Councillors no later than two weeks from this date to address this issue.

 

Acting Mayor Eaton said the request for a meeting with Premier Minns and relevant State ministers and Federal representatives within two weeks, would ideally by on-site at The Entrance North and/or Wamberal beach, to allow for those present to see the gravity of the situation and the risk to both property and the environment.

 

Mr Mehan said that Council's actions still does not change his opinion, "Residents should still be able to engage a qualified engineer, at their expense, to remediate the problem," he said.

 

The Council's letter will more than likely set the blame game in motion, with council being accursed by the government of not "putting in place their Coastal Management plan", possibly delaying necessary remediation works to commence as a matter of urgency.

 

Some affected properties are already on the brink of sliding into the ocean at the next major storm event.

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