The widening of Portobello and Harington Pt Rds planned for the 2013-14 financial year could exacerbate erosion issues at Te Rauone Beach, a Portobello resident says.
Paul Pope told Dunedin city councillors yesterday that without comprehensive modelling it was not known what the effects of the reclamation would be on water movement in the area.
In fact, because of the unknown effects of the land reclamation for the road widening, a better idea might be to install a movable filter cloth groyne instead of a hard structure, in case the structure was better located in a different position.
The council also needed to complement any engineering structures, such as a proposed groyne to stop erosion from the Te Rauone coast, with appropriate vegetation and dune building, if it wanted to provide the desired level of protection, Mr Pope said.
Several other people submitted on plans in the draft annual plan for 2013-14 for the council to contribute financially to the groyne, pleading for the council to act, after about 20 years of discussions on the problem.
Councillors are to receive a report on the groyne proposal for their deliberations on the annual plan next week.
