Councillors back wall

Community consultation showed 86.4 per cent of respondents supported having the wall.

A council report at the March 4 meeting recommended the proposal be deferred for 12 months.

Coastal ward Cr Sabine Winton moved an alternative recommendation, seconded by Cr Russell Driver, that construction of the wall along the western edge of the park begin.

Cr Winton said she was confident of the community sentiment and building the wall would reclaim as much land as possible for the park, where storms caused severe erosion last September.

‘They want this wall, they want Fred Stubbs Park back,’ she said.

Before the meeting, Quinns Rocks resident Natalie Sangalli gave a deputation, saying the Save Our Foreshore Quinns Beach Facebook group was founded as a direct reaction to the latest loss of sand dunes.

‘Never did I think the membership of the group would reach over 200, never mind over 2000,’ she said.

‘The community of Quinns has come together and they have told the City that they want to keep Fred Stubbs Park.’

Mrs Sangalli said the park had been a meeting place for residents and nearby businesses relied on those community interactions.

Another resident Caroline White said the foreshore had been eroding for years and delaying the wall could have negative impacts on the park.

‘Although nature can be unpredictable, in this case it wasn’t ” we knew it was eroding,’

Mrs White said, adding the community campaign started when there was significant erosion of the park.

‘It didn’t start because 10 metres of beach was lost ” it was the park.

‘If the coastal protection and revetment wall had been constructed a year ago, then the limestone wall wouldn’t be needed.’

Cr Winton said the City would save money by not delaying the wall, and could proceed with its construction as it no longer needed development approval.

Wanneroo planning and sustainability director Len Kosova told the Times it received development approval advice from the Department of Planning on February 28.

‘The department is satisfied that the works can be considered as a ‘public work’, and as such is exempt from the need to obtain approval,’ he said.

According to the council report, the tender price for building the sand bag revetments was lower than budgeted, so there would only be a $180,000 shortfall in funds for the $541,000 wall, which could be sourced from the City’s strategic projects reserve.

Crs Linda Aitken and Glynis Parker voted against the alternative, saying they preferred to wait for wave data before approving the wall.

Councillors also resolved to establish the Quinns Beach long-term coastal protection community reference group.

Mrs Sangalli wrote to Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts and councillors following the meeting to thank them for deciding to build the wall and open the reference group to residents outside Quinns Rocks.

‘For the first time in a very long time I feel Quinns does have a definite future and it is thanks to you for supporting the amendment that it will happen,’ the mother-of-three said.

“It has been a rollercoaster of a ride, with lots of turns in between, but we do appreciate the job you do.’

Read more here.