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Information previously held on the SFB
Beach Trust website removed by BJAC in
2007.
This site provides the required
historical overview of the St Francis
Bay Beach Project.
 
Why do
we need to restore the beach at St
Francis Bay? Does it really matter
that the beach is restored to its former
pristine state?
The St Francis
Bay Beach Trust as well as many
other concerned residents
and developers believe that
without a beach the whole
economy of St Francis will
contract. This will result
in a decline in property values
as well as there being a
significant loss of jobs in the
local community.
We cannot allow
our Village to undergo this
negative change. What are
required are positive inputs
from the whole SFB community in
order to ensure that we achieve
our shared vision and objectives
in restoring one of our prime
assets.
The
St Francis Bay Beach Trust was formed
early in 2006 in order to manage a fully
integrated approach to rehabilitating
the St Francis Bay Beach. The approach
is unique for a project of this size in
South Africa, as community funding was
used in order to move the process
forward.
This fully integrated process includes a
number of distinct steps. These are:
-
The Investigative Phase
( completed July, 2006 )
-
Design and Costing ( underway to
be completed December, 2006 )
-
Construction ( planned to
commence early 2007 )
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Urgent Beach Erosion Updates
Following the high tides
recently experienced during
the period of alignment of
the Sun, Moon and Earth
there has been further
extensive erosion along the
St Francis Beach. This is
expected to continue for the
next few days leading to the
Equinox on 21 March, 2007.
In some cases there has been
further damage to revetments
and walkways as well as to
unprotected dunes. Those who
provided funding for the SFB
Beach Trust can call 082 777
1519 for an update of the
situation at their property.
Alan Tonkin
SFB Beach Trust |
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The
St Francis Bay Beach has been receding
at a rate of between 2 to 3 meters per
year over the last 25 years. This is
mainly due to the the Santareme dune
field being stabilised by developers in
order to build houses. If the beach is
to be rehabilitated it will be necessary
to pump sand from the Estuary to
renourish the beach on an ongoing basis.
This renourishment will include
resculpting and revegItating the dunes
as part of this process. 
The
Greater St Francis area is one of the
most ecologically diverse areas in the
whole of South Africa. It is situated in
an area where a number of ecological
systems converge. It is therefore,
critical that our efforts should be
directed at preserving and enhancing
these conditions for future generations.