OZschwitz plans to save properties on eroded beaches hit ridiculous legal walls

It is the Sydney homeowner's man-versus-wild battle: erecting walls to stop the savage sea from swallowing their pricey waterfront properties.

OZschwitz plans to save properties on eroded beaches hit ridiculous legal walls Mb_wide_wiggins_20130812185242785622-620x349

OZschwitz plans to save properties on eroded beaches hit ridiculous legal walls Mb_wide_wiggins_20130812185242785622-620x349

But Australian research says beachfront landowners have no legal right to defend their homes from the ocean, nor do governments have a duty to intervene.

Environment authorities are considering the findings as the state government overhauls coastal protection laws.

Homeowners say sea walls are one of their best defences against erosion and inundation as sea levels rise and the coast is battered by more frequent, intense storms. But environmental groups say the walls, which can be built on public or private property, cause other parts of the shoreline to recede and favour vested interests over the public's right to the beach.
Advertisement

In a paper published in the Australian Law Journal, academic John Corkill claimed that while landowners once had a limited common law right to defend against the sea by building walls, that right is trumped by NSW coastal protection laws that acknowledge beaches should be preserved for the public good.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/plans-to-save-properties-on-eroded-beaches-hit-legal-walls-20130812-2rse2.html#ixzz2bpXz7y63

OZschwitz plans to save properties on eroded beaches hit ridiculous legal walls

OZschwitz plans to save properties on eroded beaches hit ridiculous legal walls

Anarcho-Capitalist Categorical Imperatives

AnCaps In Science, Technology & Environment