Causeway Coast and Glens Council to repair Waterfoot beach wall damaged in storm

The council officers’ proposal to repair a section of wall at the beach, located on the Causeway Coastal Route, was accepted by councillors at the Leisure and Development Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 20.

The bay at Waterfoot has suffered from coastal erosion in the past, and last November, Storm Ciaran severely affected the beach entrance. The storm removed around three or four feet of sand from the beach, damaging the gabion wall and raised footpath above the beach.

The Council’s Estates team deemed that, in its current condition, the access along the path posed a “serious health and safety risk to members of the public accessing the beach”, and it has been closed to the public.

An officers’ report added: “The council is responsible to take action to mitigate against further erosion and ensure safety of members of the public traversing the footpath. We would like to undertake repair works to the sea defences and path.

“This will require the appointment of specialist services and localised site investigations to assess the ground conditions, determine stability and the potential for erosion.”

Officers said they were keen to complete the repairs on 80 metres of wall, with an estimated cost of £60,000, before November to “avoid difficult working conditions and possible additional erosion later in the year.”

SDLP Councillor Ashleen Schenning was concerned that the repairs would be “costly”, but accepted that it required a great deal of work by experts.