Council Minutes - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY 28 AUGUST 2012
Floreat Groyne
Current restrictions: "No fishing - 1 October to 31 March, 6:00am to 7:00pm". .
Proposed restriction: "No fishing - 1 November to 30 April, 6am to 7pm".
5. Inadequate beach cleaning and no rocks/rubble on beach
Two Forum attendees reported that the beach required cleaning more regularly to reduce
rocks and rubbish.
At present, City and Floreat beaches are cleaned using a mechanical sand rake that rakes
the sand up to a depth of approximately 300mm.
Enquiries with neighbouring local governments of (Fremantle, Cottesloe and Nedlands)
revealed that they use contractors to clean their beaches. The City of Stirling uses a
machine that is similar to the Town’s machine. The frequency of beach cleaning by these
Councils varies with the use of the beach which peaks in summer. Most of the cleaning
occurs adjacent their main swimming areas.
Parks and Landscaping Services generally assess beach conditions and uses the beach
cleaner as required. When identified or reported, rocks are removed by either a front end
loader or a bobcat. The beach cleaning machine is not capable of removing large rocks or
bricks. Rubbish on the beach is also monitored and removed by hand as this can be the
most efficient way of removing individual items such as cans or plastic drink bottles.
There have been very few reports of dangerous items (such as needles or broken glass) on
the beach over the years. Action is taken immediately to remove these hazardous items.
With the likely increase in the future use of City Beach, the beach cleaning program will be
reviewed to ensure the Town's beaches can be safely enjoyed by the public. Parks and
Landscaping have recently conducted rock removal in City Beach after a complaint was
lodged with administration.
6. Boardwalk access and signage
Attendees at the Forum asked about the current use of the Floreat board walk as they
believed:-
• the boardwalk was under utilised by the general public,
• the boardwalk was not adequately meeting the needs of all users,
• the location of the signage at the boardwalk was inadequate.
The Administration has investigated these claims and found that the passive recreational
nature of the boardwalk's design does not make it compatible with some active recreational
activities such as bicycle riding, or rollerblading/skateboarding.
Forum attendees agreed that jogging on the board walk should be permitted, as the
boardwalk forms a link between established jogging and walking paths along the foreshore.
It was agreed that jogging should not be prohibited.
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