Council approached after six-hour road closure

Pearl Beach Progress Association representative Ms Kay Williams has made a presentation to Gosford Council following a six-hour road closure in May which isolated the township.

Ms Williams raised issues about limited access to Pearl Beach, excavation and the possibility of collapsing road structure.

Ms William's said that, on May 31, two cars collided at 2pm on Patonga Dr, Mt Ettalong, and due to forensic assessment no traffic was allowed to pass until 8.30pm that evening.

"The communities of Pearl Beach and Patonga were isolated," Ms Williams said.

"Worse still, police later advised that they had no responsibility to notify residents of either community of what was happening and when access would be resumed.

"Traffic wishing to leave Pearl Beach queued back to the beach-front, and traffic from Umina, including school buses, queued back to a place where turning was possible, unaware of when the road would be cleared."

It took six and a half hours.

In relation to Patonga Dr, Ms Williams stated that over two years ago, council received advice from a Geotechnical Engineer that there was a high risk of collapse of parts of the Patonga Dr, with further advice in April last year confirming a high overall risk of slope instability.

"In 1998, without the benefit of geotechnical advice, council gave permission for significant undercutting of number 20 Jade Pl, Pearl Beach, alongside a large pool.

"Independent geotechnical advice on the excavation of the hillside from Coffey Geosciences confirmed they would not have recommended such undercutting.

"Belatedly, council asked the owner to get geotechnical advice before proceeding.

"This advice draw attention to several large boulders high on the block deemed at risk of falling."

Ms Williams said the problem was rectified, but it was too late for any further action, as the excavation of the hill face and the footings had already been completed.

"More recently, at the adjacent number 18 Jade Pl, council apparently authorised an even larger excavation of the hillside off Jade Pl," Ms Williams said.

"As you will be aware, any damage from land slippage is not covered by home insurance and necessitates suing council and or the owner or builder.

"On a site as unstable as Mt Ettalong, this has brought about conditions similar to those at Thredbo.

"Two roads heavily cut into an unstable mountain with considerable watercourse activity and crumbling rock structure, and with significant building construction in between.

"The increasing use of these roads by heavy machinery adds to the risk of subsidence and collapse."

Ms Williams also stated that the final bend into Pearl Beach was wrongly banked and channels run-off into the Middle Creek.

"The road is too narrow for buses, which are forced across the double line," Ms Williams said.

"The whole community would be at risk in the event of a road closure as a result of a major road collapse:

Patonga Dr and Pearl Beach Dr constitute the only viable access to Pearl Beach.

"We cannot afford to have it blocked.

"Therefore, we ask council to immediately take action to investigate and plan an alternative access road to the village. "

Ms Williams said that, in the interim, the association would seek to have council keep its promise to residents in Pearl Beach to maintain the footpath around Mt Ettalong by the old sea road in a viable condition.

"The path should be maintained wide enough to allow passage of a stretcher, and safe egress for pedestrians and cyclists," Ms Williams said.

"During the six and a half hour road closure last May, residents with vital appointments in Woy Woy walked this path, some by torch-light.

"They reported concerns regarding an area of danger where the sea has washed away the path.

"The sewer line to Pearl Beach is also laid around this point, and council cannot allow the sea to reclaim the path, with the attendant risk of broken sewer pipes.

"For reasons of access, safety and health, we further ask council to take immediate action to restore the original pathway around the foot of Mt Ettalong."

Pearl Beach presently has no wharf and no other egress in case of road collapse or bushfire.

"We ask your urgent action to repair the Mt Ettalong Cliff Rd and also to provide an alternative transport road to Pearl Beach and Patonga, bypassing the present Patonga Dr, Pearl Beach Dr section, "Ms Williams said.

Press release, August 15 Kay Williams, Pearl Beach Progress Association