A comprehensive report from a yet-to-be appointed consultant, about the structural integrity of the existing wall, its design and its partial failure, is expected in the coming months.
Council transportation operations manager Graeme Hamilton said yesterday if that showed the failing of the wall was linked to its design, then he ''suspected'' there could be ''limited opportunity'' to seek some costs.
An agreement reached recently with the wall's design firm, Spiire, about who should pay to repair and strengthen sea-damaged stairs and ramps on the wall, had also included discussion about what would happen in the case of any future damage to the wall, he said.
In that case, Spiire and the council agreed, after negotiating for more than a year, to each pay about half the cost of the repairs and that neither would accept liability for the sea wall's faults.
The details of the agreement were confidential, and although it was forward-looking, he believed there was still room for some negotiation, should the present issues be found to be caused by the wall.
Spiire had been involved since sinkholes in the Esplanade appeared two weeks ago, he said.
To ensure the imminent review of the structure was completely independent, a consultant who had no involvement with its design was being sought nationally.
The deadline for expressions of interest had been extended until today, to give firms more time to respond.
It was expected a consultant would be chosen within several weeks, and, given there was enough information available from various tests and assessments of the wall over the past decade, that their report would not take too long.
But the council did not want to rush things, he said.
''It's not a shotgun thing. We have to make sound decisions and know we are going to get good advice.''
In the meantime, the matter of who was to pay would not delay the fixing of the damaged section of the Esplanade.
Work on investigating the options for long-term solutions for returning sand to the beach and keeping it there as a buffer for the wall would also continue.
