Eddie Andrews, deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment
Referring to “Coastal users debate development” (Plainsman, Wednesday February 8), the City is aware of the long cultural history of fishing from the broken Fisherman’s Lane and how important this structure is to the community.
As such, our Coastal Management branch directed a comprehensive assessment to see whether we could rehabilitate the road.
In 2019 the consulting engineers conducted a site inspection and geotechnical assessment of the sea wall that supports the road to determine whether the wall could be repaired.
Unfortunately, it was found that the wall was irreparable, and had to be reconstructed at a cost of R28.2 million – this amount alone is about R8 million more than we have budgeted for the whole project.
The other options that we investigated include a rock revetment with a concrete walkway on the sea side of the berm, a geotextile container edge with a concrete walkway on the sea side of the berm and a piled elevated concrete walkway on the seaside of the berm.
Due to our limited budget and the outcomes of a cost benefit analysis, it was decided to demolish the broken road with its retaining wall, and instead formalise the link to the western parking area and provide generous access onto the beach.
Thus, we have decided to, as part of this project, remove the derelict road, and provide steps to the beach from both the western and the eastern parking area.
There will also be a pedestrian link through the berm (‘dune’) to the beach which will allow the fishermen to access the beach with ease for angling.
As for the derelict infrastructure, we are currently busy removing the derelict road that runs west from Strandfontein Pavilion and ends at a coastal parking area 800m to the west of the pavilion as it is posing a significant health and safety risk to the public, specifically local recreational fisherman.
The collapse has also exposed a main sewer line that as a result, now fails on a regular basis adding a pollution risk, has exposed a water main, and the old fill and rubble from the collapse is spreading into the shoreline.
The intention is to - remove the derelict road to allow the natural environment to return to its original state; protect the eastern and western parking areas from erosion; construct a road from the picnic area to the western parking area; and upgrade the adjacent picnic area.
The budget for this project amounts to about R20.5 million, and once complete the derelict road will no longer pose a public safety risk, and the public will once again have access to this entire section of coastline.