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Woensdag, 19 Julie 2017 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | epos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
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Rehabilitation work at Big Bay Beach is still underway to ensure the safety of the public. The beach was closed off to the public a month ago following a dune collapse.
DUNE COLLAPSE: BEACH TO BE FULLY REOPENED IN NEAR FUTURE
Big Bay in rehab RICHARD ROBERTS @richardjohn_rj
B
ig Bay Beach, a popular stretch of sand and sea in Blouberg, will only be formally reopened to the public at a later stage. This is the message from the City of Cape Town following the closure of the beach on 8 June after a dune collapsed due to bad weather. The collapse resulted in the injury of a City employee. In a statement issued at the time, the City said the beach would reopen once the stability of the dunes had been established.
“Big Bay Beach has suffered extensive damage and erosion as a result of the stormy weather that Cape Town has experienced over the past 48 hours. The area is unstable and unsafe,” the statement read. TygerBurger approached the City recently to get an update on the situation. The City was asked whether the entire beach is still closed to the public and when they anticipate it reopening. “The City is cautiously optimistic that the beach will be formally reopened in the near future, and efforts are underway to restore the access point directly in front of the Big Bay Surf Lifesaving Club. The area is being
monitored on a continual basis,” Suzette Little, Mayco member for Area North, said in response. In the short term, temporary access to the beach has been restored at the northern boardwalk, and access to the beach can also be gained via Small Bay, Little said. She said following the storm on 7 June, approximately 2000m² of beach and fore-dune were lost and a steep, unstable dune-face of three to four metres in height remained as a result, with the beach covered in debris. “The City removed the debris and made the dune-face stable, thus improving the safety of the beach.”
The clean-up resulted in truckloads of debris being removed to a landfill. “The beach has essentially lost its resilience and is no longer able to recover when hit by storms,” Little said. Ward 23 councillor, Nora Grose, also recently informed residents via social media that Big Bay Beach is still undergoing a process of rehabilitation. “I urge all residents and visitors to the beach area to please take caution and only access the permitted area. We are working hard and fast to provide another access on the south side of the lifesaving club,” Grose said.