Protest: Home owners in Illaroo Road are worried about their future.
TONIGHT’S council meeting is shaping up as a milestone moment for a group of seaside residents and homeowners.
Homes at Lake Cathie’s Illaroo Road are deemed to be at immediate risk in the coastal erosion hotspot.
A five-part recommendation will go before tonight’s Port Macquarie-Hastings Council meeting which, if adopted, will set the council’s approach to manage erosion eating away the coast at Lake Cathie.
The recommendation supports a revetment, or seawall, and beach nourishment.
It comes after a consultant’s draft report examined four management options: Planned retreat, a 400m-long revetment or seawall, beach nourishment and a groyne.
Illaroo Road resident and homeowner Stephen Hunt said residents hoped the revetment would receive the tick of approval.
“We have been fighting for this for the last four years, and we would be very hopeful the right decision is made,” he said.
Illaroo Road homeowners had feared they could lose their properties to coastal erosion management after a draft report’s release in March.
The consultant’s draft report recommended their homes be bought as an answer to coastal erosion under the so-called planned retreat option.
That sparked an outcry from Illaroo residents, but the council maintained it had not made a decision.
The community lodged a record 4600 submissions in response to the draft report.
The Hastings LGA Coast & Estuaries Sub-committee considered the matter last week and its recommendation will go before tonight’s council meeting.
If approved, the next step would be to prepare a Lake Cathie coastal zone management plan incorporating a revetment and beach nourishment as the management option for Illaroo Road.
Lake Cathie residents are expected to attend tonight’s meeting.
The council meeting will be held from 5.30pm at Wauchope’s Senior Citizens Hall in High Street.