The Government has proposed building a seawall along a portion of Southlands to protect the area from erosion.

A recent planning application, submitted by the Ministry of Public Works, called for the construction of a 40ft seawall on the eastern side of the park’s coastline, effectively extending the seawall located at the neighbouring Bermudiana Beach property.

Planning documents said: “The cliffs at this location are actively eroding and have experienced large rockfalls in recent years.

“Erosion has numerous causes, and undercutting by wave action is believed to be a primary factor at this location.

“The neighbouring property, known as the Bermudiana Beach Resort [formerly the Grand Atlantic Resort], has a seawall similar to the proposed and has experienced significantly less erosion in recent years.

“The intent of this proposal is to extend the existing seawall to protect the Southlands foreshore, and terminate at a head of hard limestone some 40m to the west.”

The documents said that while other options had been looked at, doing nothing was “considered unacceptable” given the rate of erosion and its potential impacts on the park and neighbouring properties.

“The reason for the chosen design is two-fold,” the application said. “Firstly, a cantilevered seawall is a proven form, successfully employed on coastlines around the world.

“Second, and as stated above, the adjacent cliff (eastward, which is protected by a seawall at its base) has experienced significantly less erosion in recent years, which lends weight to the supposition that undercutting is a primary driver of erosion.

“Measures incorporated into the design to mitigate future erosion include situating the seawall at higher elevations, founding the seawall on sound rock and dressing the toe with boulder protection.”

A construction environmental management plan included in the application said that because the area was not accessible by vehicles, a “natural rubble access ramp” is proposed at the site of a collapsed stairway to provide temporary access.

“This rubble ramp will be kept to a practical minimum and will be either removed following completion of the seawall, or enable the reconstruction of a permanent public access structure,” the document said.

“Only vehicles actively participating in the works will be allowed down to the beach.”

While concerns have been raised about the state of the cliff face along that portion of South Shore, the Government said last year that it was confident in the seawall erected at Bermudiana Beach, despite damage suffered in Hurricane Ernesto.

A government spokesman said at the time: “Our structural engineers are confident in the measures taken to ensure the safety and integrity of the cliff supporting the resort.

“We are well aware of the challenges faced by all properties on the South Shore and are following best practice to ameliorate the threat of erosion and our engineers will continue to monitor the site.”