A LENGTHY appeal to save a section of the Port's coastline could finally be on track for success, albeit temporary, according to Port Stephens mayor Bob Westbury.
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Conroy Park at Corlette is rapidly dissolving into Salamander Bay, as extreme tidal events continue to eat into land and pose a threat to public safety. For more than five years, concerned resident Margaret Wilkinson said, nothing has been done to curb erosion.
"Our community has made constant representations to council about this issue for several years and nothing has been done," she said.
The area in question was first brought to the attention of the Examiner last year by Ms Wilkinson, who said her calls for the park's replenishment "had fallen on deaf ears." But it seems the council is finally acting on Ms Wilkinson's campaign for a fix, after Mayor Bob Westbury confirmed that arrangements to replenish the land were being sought. The area, which is owned by the Department of Lands but managed by the council would need a "multi-governmental approach", he said, that included consultation with marine park authorities in order to return it to its once natural state. "We are hoping to bring sand from the western end [of the coastline]...it's a short-term solution to make the area safe," he said. But Ms Wilkinson said promises of multi-governmental action is the type of rhetoric she has heard before.
It is believed the council is waiting on confirmation from Marine Park Authority NSW before it can proceed with remediation.
