After nearly a year of construction at the Milnerton beachfront, the revetment project, which aims to fortify the steps and ramps, is finally complete.
The work commenced at the end of August 2022 with the demolition and removal of the stepped structure and beach ramps that were damaged by severe storm events in June 2017 and July 2018.
The Milnerton Retreat beachfront project is spearheaded by the City’s coastal management branch to improve Cape Town’s long-term resilience to climate change.
Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment, visited the site last week.
“Engineers from our coastal management branch did an assessment of the damage, and conducted a detailed feasibility study in 2018 in collaboration with specialist coastal engineering consultants. These included investigating the coastal processes, long-term beach erosion trends, and geotechnical conditions at the site. The study assessed various options while also considering the environmental impact, flexibility, cost and risks of each option,” Andrews says.
The conclusion was to build a geo-container revetment for protection against coastal processes and high seas in the medium term.
“The revetment provides the City the flexibility to implement a managed retreat of the fixed infrastructure at the beachfront, about 15 years from now, if needed. Engineers from the City’s coastal management branch completed the detailed design and documentation for the project and also managed the construction of the geo-container revetment,” Andrews says.
Geo-container revetment facts
The revetment is constructed from approximately 720 sand-filled geo-containers, each container has a mass of 2,5 ton.
The revetment foundation is buried 2,3 m below the current beach level. The revetment has an expected design life of 15 years, and its condition will be assessed throughout its design lifetime as coastal conditions change.
“The City will monitor and maintain the revetment, and proactively commence with the planning of the long-term solution well ahead of time. I visited the site, and I am impressed with what the team has achieved just in time for the winter storms and within the available budget. The revetment will protect the lifesavers’ building and promenade, and those visiting the Milnerton beach front will enjoy this recreational space a lot more.
“I also need to commend the team for making all sorts of plans to ensure the public’s access to the beach while the project was ongoing, and for providing a temporary lifesaver lookout while the southern portion of the revetment was under construction. The City also appreciates the support and cooperation from the Milnerton Lifesaving Club,” Andrews says.
Cape Town’s coastline is vulnerable to climate change.
The City says predictions are that we will face harsher storm events and stronger winds going forward.
“We take these factors into consideration as we are implementing projects to improve our resilience, and to ensure our coastline remains a pristine and sought after destination. These improvements are to the benefit of all of us who live in Cape Town, and visitors. We also appreciate the public’s support and I want to appeal to residents to please report any vandalising of the critical coastal protection infrastructure. The revetment is to our collective benefit to ensure an accessible and beautiful coastline for all,” says Andrews.
The Milnerton Surf Lifesaving Club welcomed the newly-constructed beach front.
“Thank you to the City of Cape Town and the construction team for the very professional way in which the construction of the revetment was handled. They were in regular consultation with the club and always willing to find ways to accommodate us and the lifeguards through the summer lifesaving duty season. We are looking forward to next summer with our beautiful new beach front,” the club says.
