A beaten seawall along one of the region’s most visited beaches is set to be renewed.
Worn down by the elements since about 1970, the wall at Kings Beach is expected to be replaced with more durable materials.
Sunshine Coast Council has conducted preliminary studies to rebuild the structure and to provide a wider coastal pathway, although design details are yet to be finalised.
There are also plans to replace the seawalls at Mooloolaba and Moffatt Beach, and to restore the seawall at Golden Beach.
An overhauled seawall at Kings Beach could complement the building of a replacement $4 million surf lifesaving facility on the foreshore.
A council spokesperson said the current wall was worn and it would need to be replaced.
“The Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy identifies the existing seawall infrastructure at Kings Beach is ageing,” they said.
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“The current seawall was placed along the foreshore around 1970.
“It was not constructed to any engineering standards.
“The strategy, from present day to 2041, is to continue to mitigate coastal hazard risk and prepare for additional hazard mitigation in some areas in the future.
“Council has completed a number of preliminary background studies to support future seawall and coastal pathway construction.”
There are few specifics at this stage, but the spokesperson said a replacement wall would be significantly more robust.
“No design details have been finalised, however durable materials to withstand harsh coastal conditions would be used.
“Any future seawall would adhere to modern coastal engineering standards.
“It would be designed for the specific Kings Beach coastal conditions to keep our community safe, while balancing the protection of the park and health of our beaches and coastline.
“The wall height will be determined through coastal modelling, engineering standards and any requirements behind the wall.
“This will all be considered through the design process.
“We will not know construction costs or timeframes until further design progresses.”
The current seawall is about 380m long. It’s not yet known how much of that would be replaced. Sections of it are almost completely covered by sand.
The council spokesperson said the design of the seawall and the design of the surf facility “must align to complement each other”.
“However, the construction of each is independent,” they said.
“Any new seawall will be located eastward (beachside) of the new surf facility and is anticipated to incorporate a wider coastal pathway.
“Council is investigating a range of construction methods to ensure the new surf lifesaving facility can be built independently of any future upgrades to the seawall and coastal pathway.
“(But) the height and configuration of a potential future Kings Beach seawall, which meets the requirements of the Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy, was one element council needed to resolve before the tender process started for the new surf life saving facility.
“We anticipate that the design consultancy services tender for the Kings Beach Surf Life Saving facility will be released in the coming months.”
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