By Alesha Capone
Werribee District Historical Society secretary Lance Pritchard has expressed concerns about Wyndham council’s plans for the K Road Cliffs in Werribee South.
New cliff-top walking paths and a boardwalk could be installed at the cliffs, under a council master plan for the site.
However Mr Pritchard said he did a presentation in 2016 showing the council a “weak seam” located about 10 metres from the top of the cliff and cavities in the natural formation.
While visiting the bottom of the cliffs last month, Mr Pritchard said he noticed a wet seam in the cliff, surrounded by dry soil.
“The cavities have caused subsidence at the cliffs and at K Road itself and at the entrance of the nearby golf course,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to stop the cliffs collapsing, I want to make that clear.”
Mr Pritchard also questioned whether building the new paths at the cliffs was wise, given the subsidence issues.
He said that putting more dirt on top of a cliff with cavities, did not seem like a good idea.
“As part of the master plan, they will build walkways along the cliffs and will dump several hundred tonnes of soil on top of the cliffs,” Mr Pritchard said.
Wyndham council’s manager of climate futures, Peter McKinnon, said the K Road master plan aimed to reduce further erosion at the site.
“This $2.4 million project was developed following extensive consultation with the Wyndham community and included a thorough investigation into concerns raised by the Werribee Historical Society regarding the drain and subsidence concerns,” he said.
He said that a study using LiDAR data in late 2019 indicated no evidence of significant soil subsidence in the area surrounding the K Road Cliffs, during the previous five years.
“Photos recently provided by the Werribee Historical Society indicating dampness in the cliff face have been referred to our design team for further consideration and review,” Mr McKinnon said. “Meanwhile, the boardwalks are being designed with full consideration of the fragile cliff face and will be set back from the cliff edge, which will significantly improve the safety and amenity at the site.”
