Work continues to protect Stockton's coastline

City of Newcastle is continuing to shore up the much-loved Stockton coastline, building the infrastructure required to shield the area and reduce the risk of inundation during large swells.

A new seawall at the southern end of the existing protection structure in Mitchell Street has recently been completed, with work progressing on the installation of an adjoining 50-metre-long rock bag structure.

Stockton Community Liaison Group representatives Ron Boyd and Barbara Whitcher, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and City of Newcastle staff Noor Timol and Philippa Hill outside the work site in Stockton.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the delivery of new protection structures is an important part of City of Newcastle's program to reduce the risk of erosion.

"City of Newcastle has invested over $16.5 million dollars in the management, protection and remediation of the Stockton coastline since our Coastal Management Program (CMP) was certified by the NSW Government in August 2020," Cr Nelmes said.

"Our work in Stockton is a crucial line of defence to significantly reduce the chance of further erosion and the loss of public and private land and assets.

"Our current work on these protection structures, and future work along the coastline, will complement our longer-term management strategy of mass sand nourishment."

The seawall and rock bag structure have been co-funded by the NSW Government via a grant from the Coastal and Estuary Grants Program. 

The rock bags will be integrated into future works to reduce the risk of damage at The Pines, which is the area surrounding the war memorial on Mitchell Street, home to a stand of Norfolk pines. Design and assessment is now underway for works in this area.

An aerial view of the work to build the rock bag structure at Stockton.

City of Newcastle updated the Stockton Community Liaison Group (SCLG) on the latest progress with a tour on site today. 

SCLG Chair Barbara Whitcher said it was good to see work continuing to protect Stockton’s coastline.

"It's especially pleasing to see how the regular sand scraping has made a difference to the protection of Stockton's coastline, including during the recent serious weather events," Ms Whitcher said.

Regular beach scraping activities are undertaken by City of Newcastle to increase dune resilience by accelerating the natural movement of sand, with the latest beach scraping campaign undertaken last month. 

City of Newcastle has continued regular liaison with the Worimi Registered Aboriginal Parties, to ensure current and future works respect the significance of the Stockton coastline to the Worimi people and protects cultural heritage.

In late 2023, the NSW Government, in collaboration with City of Newcastle, placed an initial 130,000 cubic metres of amenity sand to help renourish Stockton Beach. 

The delivery of sand nourishment and investigations into sourcing sand for mass nourishment, which are currently ongoing, have been funded through a $6.2 million grant through the Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program, which includes $4.7 million from the Federal Government and $1.5 million from City of Newcastle.

In 2023, the NSW Government committed $21 million to repair Stockton Beach through mass nourishment, the community's preferred coastal management strategy. 

The development of the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Program (CMP) is also continuing, ahead of public exhibition over summer. 

It outlines an expanded list of management actions that support the long-term strategy of mass sand nourishment included in the 2020 Stockton CMP, and broadens the geographical area covered to include the northern end of Stockton Beach from Meredith Street to the Port Stephens Local Government Area boundary.