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SCMP Reporter

There was a time when anyone wanting to escape the concrete jungle just headed to the beach. Not any more.
The government wants to build a two-metre-high wall at the beach in Big Wave Bay to stop sand erosion.
Horrified beach-lovers and surfers argue it would be  yet another over-engineered public work that  would cause irrevocable damage to one of the city's last pristine areas.
Kenneth Howe, who has lived at Big Wave Bay for 11 years and has run a cafe on the beach for nearly five years, said he and other local inhabitants strongly objected to the plan. 
Howe said an engineer in the Civil Engineering Development Department  had told him that the 60-metre-long wall would be built in front of the sand dunes at the back of the beach.
'The beach will have a wall resembling that of a prison,' he said. 'People do not want to see concrete on the beach.'
Anthony Dickson, another local and regular surfer, questioned the wisdom of the plan to stop sand erosion by building a wall. 'The sand  will practically replenish itself,' he said, pointing out that the level of  sand at Big Wave Bay beach had increased by a metre since last year.
Big Wave Bay beach is one of the 41  beaches managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. When Typhoon Hagupit  hit last September, a large amount of sand was washed away. 
Hagupit's easterly winds and the storm surge they caused, combined with a high tide, caused flooding and damage along coastal areas, including several beaches on Lantau Island.  
The Civil Engineering Development Department was asked to restore the beach. After six months, consultants began to investigate how the sand was lost in order to come up with a restoration scheme.
The scheme was unveiled to Southern District Council  in June. In a document to the district council, the  Leisure and Cultural Services Department said a retaining wall would be built to protect plants on the dunes. This wall would, in turn, be protected from waves by stone slabs laid in front.
But a scientist said building a wall to stop sand erosion was probably not a good idea. Dr Adam Switzer,  a coastal geomorphologist who was, until recently,  based in the University of Hong Kong's Swire Institute of Marine Science, said the wall was unnecessary. 'Without another Hagupit-type event, Big Wave Bay beach  will likely be able to replenish itself with sand within two years,' he said. Hagupit's  storm surge occurred at the same time as high waves and during a very high tide. Switzer said such combined effects only occurred about once every 100 years.
A survey of the beach that one of his students conducted between October and January had shown that sediment was accreting and a beach berm had been formed.
Switzer said Big Wave Bay beach was a 'relatively high-energy beach', meaning there were strong waves throughout the year, particularly in winter. Sand washed away during storms in the summer was often brought back by consistent wave actions during the winter, he said.
Switzer cautioned that a concrete wall, if not designed and constructed properly, might accelerate sand erosion and trigger other problems.
'There are many examples around the world where hard engineering of high-energy beaches has failed. I hope Hong Kong is not the next case.'
Yuen Fu-pong, who has lived in Big Wave Bay village for many years, said he would support the proposal if it stopped sand erosion or flooding.  
'The government's engineers would have more professional knowledge than me,' he said.
Chu Ching-hong, vice-chairman of Southern District Council, said that while members supported the  plan, the government had been asked to reduce its visual impact.



Beach-lovers horrified at wall plan for Big Wave Bay