THE pre-Christmas reopening of the popular Beleura cliff path in Mornington is under a cloud following at least two more landslips in the past two weeks.
The 750-metre path, which extends from the Mornington cliffs to Mills Beach, was closed by council workers in mid-September and barriers erected following a landslip and concerns over public safety.
But after complaints from residents, walkers and the Beleura Cliff Friends Group, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council agreed to implement remediation “options” to reopen the path as soon as possible and engage consultants to undertake a more comprehensive risk assessment.
Landslips of on 7 and 12 October then forced the council to “revisit” that plan.
Mornington resident Peter Nicholson said path users were upset that the original reports that led to the closure were not made publicly available.
At the council meeting on Tuesday 18 October Cr Steve Holland successfully moved that any risk or engineering reports and advice that informed the decision to temporarily close the Beleura cliff path be released to the public before Friday 21 October, and that stakeholders (residents/friends’ groups) be kept informed.
By close of business Friday, the documents had not been released and Friends of Beleura Cliff Path had not been notified if they would be.
Climate change and sustainability manager Melissa Burrage said the council was closely monitoring the stability of the Beleura cliff path and had sought further expert advice after the appearance of more unsafe areas along the path.
“We are working to open the path as soon as possible, with the safety of the community central to our decision making,” she said.
Nicholson said the 100-year-old path had a long and colourful history and was an important asset to the community.
First published in the Mornington News – 25 October 2022
