Coastal path project gains momentum

THE Shelly Beach shoreline will be part of an extensive coastal walkway if an exciting community project, started two years ago, is successful.

However, those involved in the project are appealing for the support and assistance of all Shelly Beach residents, including beachfront property owners.

The project is starting to gain momentum. This week, members of the Shelly Beach Conservancy, Shelly Beach Tourism, Community Policing Forum Shelly Beach and SAPS, met to discuss the implementation of the proposed Shelly Beach Coastal Path. Gert Brits, a member of the conservancy and tourism area committee, chaired the meeting.

Also attending were Hibiscus Coast Deputy Mayor Johnny de Wet, Ward 19 councillor Elvis Ndovela, roads and stormwater manager, Khulekani Msomi and environmental consultant, Pippa Le Cock, who has been involved in the project since its inception.

Hibiscus Coast Municipality has already given the proposal its blessing and has appointed a consultant, Brainwave Projects, to drive it. At the meeting this week, Cllr de Wet pledged council’s continued support, saying that the walkway would be a “fantastic boost for local tourism”.

The project started in 2011, when Shelly Beach community organisations did some bushwhacking to see if their idea of creating a walkway within the admiralty reserve, from St Michael’s Beach through to Warriors Rust Lane, would be viable. Satisfied it could be achieved, they approached Hibiscus Coast Municipality, the designated managing authority of the admiralty reserve.

The municipality received the proposal with enthusiasm and funded the surveying of the first phase of the walkway, from St Michael’s to the Shelly Beach ski-boat base, to determine the inland boundary of the admiralty reserve. At the meeting this week, Mr Brits said a further R200 000 had been allocated.

After introducing Pastor Manfred Muller-Nedebock of the Shelly Beach Conservancy as the co-ordinator of the project, Mr Brits said the entire path would be located within the admiralty reserve. It would hug the reserve’s inland boundary but would occasionally move onto the beach to bypass obstacles. A proposal was put to the meeting to name the walkway the Burry Stander Shelly Beach Coastal Path, to honour the late Olympic cyclist and Shelly Beach resident, Burry Stander.

The meeting heard that, for most of the proposed route, the admiralty reserve had been encroached by private landowners who had erected structures like fences, lapas and even swimming pools. These would have to be removed at the landowners’ expense.

Mr Brits said creating the path would not be expensive and would only entail minor constructions like small walkways over drains. The path would simply be grassed and not be paved. Because of the admiralty reserve encroachment, natural vegetation had already been removed and grass planted for 80 percent of the proposed route.

The allocated R200 000 would be used to pay the consultant and to survey the second phase of the rest of the route. Some funding would be needed for signage, minor constructions and the eradication of invasive alien weeds.

Ever since the idea was mooted, security issues have been a top priority. At the meeting SAPS members said a pathway would provide better access to dense bush where criminals hid and would allow more effective patrolling.

Mr Brits said the path would be built in phases, from St Michael’s to the ski-boat base, then from the ski-boat base to Warriors Rust Lane. Once the pathway was complete, those involved wanted to turn the old Banana Express railway line into a walkway and cycle track and to link the path to this. Mr Brits pointed out that there would then be a world-class walkway all the way from Port Shepstone to Southbroom.

In conclusion Mr Brits said the project had received widespread support. The next steps would be to survey the second phase and to form a task team, which Shelly Beach residents would be welcome to contact. A public meeting would soon be held.