Wamberal beach erosion: seawall would deliver no net benefit, study finds

Report raises concerns around seawalls' cost and effectiveness as low pressure system to batter NSW coastline with high tides and huge waves

• NSW weather: heavy rain, flooding and huge waves threaten homes on south and Central Coast

A cost-benefit analysis of options for a seawall at Wamberal beach commissioned by the New South Wales government in 2017 found that none of the six engineering options considered would deliver a net public benefit and that erosion would only increase with rising sea levels.

A seawall will provide benefits to beachfront properties by reducing the impacts of coastal processes," the report by Marsden Jacobs found. However, in the longer term, more properties in this area are likely to experience greater damage and loss of property values from the increased flooding of Terrigal lagoon associated with sea level rise.