City to begin annual beach lowering at Fish Hoek and Muizenberg

The City of Cape Town’s annual beach lowering programme will start on Tuesday October 1 at Fish Hoek and Muizenberg Beaches.

This re-profiling or beach lowering is important in maintaining stability in highly altered coastal systems to mitigate and manage windblown sand, according to the the City’s mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews.

He said the lowering of beach sand levels enables greater areas of the beach to become wet during high tides, therefore limiting the potential for wind-blown sand to inundate adjacent roads and infrastructure.

“We are aiming to complete the work ahead of the festive season to ensure beachgoers have unhindered fun when next they visit these beaches,” he said, adding that lowering will take place from Jager’s Walk (in front of the Galley Restaurant) to the stormwater outlet in front of the main parking area on Fish Hoek Beach and from Surfer’s Corner to the Zandvlei River mouth on Muizenberg beach.

The provisional completion date is Friday November 8, he said.

Although beach access will not be restricted during the course of the work, he cautions beach users to keep a safe distance from the machinery while on the beach.