Date set for Clifton beach re-opening
Unless a weather event prevents it, the Hastings District Council is aiming to re-open access along Clifton Beach to Cape Kidnappers on April 29.
Access along the beach was closed earlier this year after three significant landslides, and there has been ongoing landslide activity in the weeks since.
On March 5, the council resolved to explore and implement interim safety measures so the beach access could be re-opened before a Quantitative Risk Analysis of the whole beach was undertaken.
At its full meeting today the council approved a set of interim health and safety control measures to be put in place in order to open the access on April 29, and reduce the risk of harm to the public.
These measures include developing an operations manual and identifying and implementing education and communication measures to inform the public of the risks that remain on the beach access to the Cape.
The operations manual will include emergency response actions, such as if there is a severe weather event, monitoring requirements and interim reporting measures.
Warning signs of the dangers of the beach will be created and installed, and kaitiaki will be stationed at the end of the motor camp to inform the public of the risks and give the council a better understanding of the numbers using the beach.
The kaitiaki will remain in place four hours a day, during daylight hours, at low tide, seven days a week for the initial opening period, and the need for their ongoing presence will then be assessed.
At the same time CCTV will be installed as another means to monitor the effectiveness of the signage and public information on the risks.
Initial work on the Quantitative Risk Analysis has already begun – this is expected to take about six months to complete.
