Climate Resilient Coastal Zone Management Programme

Background

The site involves about 500 m of shoreline that extends from the Berinda Cox Fish Market at Oistins to Miami Beach.  This is a public shoreline with many different interests and activities.  The western half of the site consists of a beach that fronts the Oistins Bay Garden (OBG) area.  Considering the population density in the area and the quality of the beach (wide and calm), this beach is very underutilized for recreation.  This beach is poorly connected to the more popular Miami Beach area to the east.  Improving the connection to Miami Beach is a primary goal, while also improving the area for a future (presently undefined) tourism development. 

Public consultations were undertaken over the period from April 2019 to December 2019 and involved speaking with local residents, business operators, beach users and other stakeholders.  The most frequently mentioned concerns from stakeholders were issues related to flooding, ranging from small nuisance flooding in the OBG from light rain, to larger floods from heavy rainfall that impact much of the Oistins area.  Stakeholders also identified the lack of waterfront focus of the area and the potential for beach improvements. The project aims at reducing the large scale flooding issues.

Impact Assessment

There will be both positive and negative impacts from the proposed works at the Oistins site. The positive impacts are generally longer term benefits after project completion and the negative impacts are generally, but not exclusively, temporary impacts during construction.  An overview of the impacts is provided below.

Direct Positive Impacts

Tourism and Local Beach Users

• New and wider beaches for recreation
• Improved access along the coast with a direct connection from Miami Beach to the food vendors at Oistins
• Calmer water for bathing (in places)
• Ensures lateral access for the public if/when the bus terminal site is developed in the future

Shore Protection

• Wider beaches to buffer storm waves
• Groynes help retain wider beach
• Walkway provides robust shore protection if beach has eroded

Environment

• Increased and better protected turtle nesting habitat. There is little if any known turtle nesting at this site but possibilities may be created on the expanded west beach and the new proposed east beach
• Interstitial space in submerged breakwater provides rugosity and diversity of habitat

Stormwater and Drainage

• Reduced flooding on Highway 7 during storms and heavy rainfall
• Improved drainage on the Oistins area reducing general flooding
• Reduced risk of blockage of coastal drain outlets

Cultural

• Historic cannon restoration with Barbados National Trust is an opportunity to preserve an important piece of Barbadian and world history

In addition to the positive impacts that are listed above, there are many indirect positive impacts that occur as a result of those items listed above. These impacts may include more tourism business for food and lodging and more opportunities for other local businesses.

A high-level summary of potential negative impacts and suggested mitigation measures is provided in the table below:

Summary of Potential Negative Impacts and Mitigation

Negative Impact	Mitigation Approach
Turbidity and physical damage to benthic habitat during construction	In-water working techniques that reduce disturbance and appropriate turbidity control measures and monitoring.
Damage to benthic habitat from access road	Review approach routes from shore and select least disruptive route.
Loss of small trees during construction	Planting of more trees and desired coastal vegetation than the amount displaced.
Traffic disruptions during construction	Have alternate route clearly marked. Minimize duration of disruption. Consider double lane bypass around road replacement.
Blockage of pedestrian access	Reroute pedestrians safely away from work area
Safety during construction	Appropriate safety controls during and outside work hours to protect workers and the public.

Background

The St. Peter’s Bay to Mullins site is south of Speightstown and extends from the northern property limit of St. Peter’s Bay to the northern edge of Mullins Beach. The shoreline in this area is about 700 m in length and includes a few very large properties at the north end and over 20 much smaller properties in the southern half. This site has been subject to ongoing erosion in recent years resulting in a narrowing of the beach and damage to some of the very exposed buildings. The CZMU has received multiple complaints from residents in the area either requesting assistance or calls for emergency works to protect their properties especially after extreme events.

These project goals have evolved in response to feedback received from the public and stakeholders as the project proceeded through various phases of consultation. The goals will be realized through the objectives summarized as follows:

• Widening the beach to provide greater recreational opportunities, improved shore protection, and improved environmental conditions. This will be accomplished through placement of beach fill and the addition of coastal structures to better protect the beaches and retain the placed sand.
• Improving public access to the beach at each end of the site and at intermediate points along the site. This could include obtaining land to allow public access and also securing public parking areas. Parking near the site is very limited today.

Impact Assessment

There will be both positive and negative impacts from the proposed works at the St Peters Bay to Mullins site. The positive impacts are generally longer term benefits after project completion and the negative impacts are generally, but not exclusively, temporary and mitigatable impacts during construction. An overview of the impacts is provided below.

Direct Positive Impacts

Tourism and Local Beach Users

• Wider beaches for recreation
• Improved access from road to beach
• Better access to beaches north/south
• Calmer water for bathing (in places)
• Better parking (if inland facilities are possible)

Shore Protection

• Wider beaches to buffer storm waves
• Groynes help retain wider beach
• Walkway provides robust shore protection if beach has eroded

Environment

• Increased area and better protected turtle nesting habitat
• Interstitial space in submerged breakwater provides diversity of habitat and rugosity on the reef crest that is not otherwise present

Other

• Reduced risk of rainfall flooding with groynes helping to reduce beach berm height
• Improved emergency access and evacuation routes from beach

In addition to the positive impacts that are listed above, there are many indirect positive impacts that occur as a result of those items listed above. These impacts may include more tourism business for food and lodging and more opportunities for other local businesses.

A high-level summary of potential negative impacts and suggested mitigation measures is provided in the table below:

Summary of Potential Negative Impacts and Mitigation

Negative Impact	Mitigation Approach
Turbidity and physical damage to benthic habitat during construction	In-water working techniques that reduce disturbance and appropriate turbidity control measures and monitoring.
Damage to benthic habitat from access road	Review approach routes from shore and select least disruptive route.
Loss of small trees during construction	Planting of more trees and desired coastal vegetation than the amount displaced.
Traffic disruptions during construction	Minimize duration of disruption.
Safety during construction	Appropriate safety controls during and outside work hours to protect workers and the public.
Disruption of turtle nesting habitat	Little to no turtle nesting habitat is present along the southern portion of the site while the northern beaches will be monitored daily for turtle activity and BSTP will be notified if activity occurs.

Background

The project site is a 340m stretch of eroded beach north of Six Men’s on the west coast that is fronting a road that is exposed to coastal hazards. There are private properties on the landward side of the road, and this is a route for public transit vehicles and emergency services. This road is a key pedestrian route, especially for children from the area who attend the nearby school.

The area has been subject to ongoing erosion in recent years resulting in a narrowing of the beach and significant risk of damage to the road. Buildings and activities that once existed on the sea-side of the road are no longer possible. Many of the trees are being threatened by erosion and have been protected by local volunteers using available small cobbles to provide some minimal level of protection.

The proposed works at the Clinketts site have addressed these challenges, including the integrity of the road/seawall, and issues surrounding the bridge. The expansion of the beach and creation of more recreational space are additional benefits, as are the safer pedestrian access along the beach and up the hill at the north end of the site. Two primary goals were identified for the Clinketts site, summarized as follows:

• Widening the beach to provide greater recreational opportunities, better shore protection, and better environmental conditions. This will be accomplished through placement of beach fill and the addition of coastal structures to better protect the beaches and retain the placed sand.
• Improving driver and pedestrian safety in the area. This will be accomplished through the addition of a walkway that extends along the length of the site, providing separation between the pedestrians and vehicles.

Additional goals at the site include:

• Replacement of the bridge that spans the gully near the north end of the site (this bridge is in very poor condition);
• Reducing the flooding issues that have occurred since construction of the sidewalk and wall near the south end of the site;
• Improving turtle nesting habitat and reducing the potential for adult turtles and hatchlings to attempt to cross the road;
• Improving the parking and access to the beach; and
• Protecting large trees in the area that are under threat from coastal erosion.

Impact Assessment

There will be both positive and negative impacts from the proposed works at the Clinketts site. The positive impacts are generally longer term benefits after project completion and the negative impact are generally, but not exclusively, impacts during construction. An overview of the impacts is provided below.

Direct Positive Impacts

Tourism and Local Beach Users

• Wider beaches for recreation
• Better access to/from the beach with proposed stairs
• Calmer water for bathing (in places)
• Safer bridge for all users (vehicles & pedestrians)
• Safer for pedestrians and drivers with proposed sidewalk
• More parking for visitors

Shore Protection

• Wider beaches for recreation
• Protection for trees that are presently threatened by erosion
• More robust foundation and storm resilience for road
• Better protected parking area

Environment

• Increased and better protected turtle nesting habitat
• Better separation of turtles and road
• Interstitial space in submerged breakwater provides diversity of habitat

Other

• Reduced rainfall flooding with adjustments to sidewalk & wall near south end of site 
• Better emergency access along site during & after an emergency event 

In addition to the positive impacts that are listed above, there are many indirect positive impacts that occur as a result of those items listed above. These impacts may include more tourism business for food and lodging and more opportunities for other local businesses.

A high-level summary of potential negative impacts and suggested mitigation measures is provided in the table below:

Summary of Potential Negative Impacts and Mitigation

Negative Impact	Mitigation Approach
Turbidity and physical damage to benthic habitat during construction	In-water working techniques that reduce disturbance and appropriate turbidity control measures and monitoring.
Damage to benthic habitat from access road	Review approach routes from shore and select least disruptive route.
Loss of small trees during construction	Planting of more trees and desired coastal vegetation than the amount displaced.
Loss of beach area to expanded parking	Provide more beach width so that there is a net gain in both beach and back-beach area.
Blockages of vehicular traffic during construction	Have alternate route clearly marked. Minimize duration of disruption. Consider single lane bypass around bridge replacement.
Blockage of pedestrian access	Maintain a safe route for pedestrian access (perhaps east side of road) during construction.
Safety during construction	Appropriate safety controls during and outside work hours to protect workers and the public.
Impacts to Turtle Nesting Habitat	The contractor will inspect the site each morning prior to work for signs of nesting and contact BSTP if there is a nest. Work will commence after the all clear from BSTP.

Background

The site involves about 370 m of shoreline that consists of a road and sidewalk that are threatened by erosion. Some sections of the site have a recently constructed block wall along the edge of the sidewalk that limits the overtopping of sand and water onto the road. However, this block wall is not a robust structure and was built upon the compromised foundation of the existing sidewalk. The north and south ends of the site have slightly wider beaches and in the center of the site Hugo’s restaurant protrudes into the sea. The region has the potential to become a very busy area, between Speightstown and pending tourism developments to the north.

The main goals of the works at this site relate to protection of the road and sidewalk in the area, as well as possible widening of the beach. The alleviation of flooding in central Speightstown was discussed by a number of stakeholders but has its cause and possible remedies outside the geographical limits of this study.

Beach widening requires the addition of sand and installation of structures to improve the beach stability. Nourishing the beach without providing protection would be a short lived solution as the sand would be moved offshore and onto adjacent beaches during larger events (possibly very quickly). Beach widening is a primary goal for the following reasons:

• Providing a wider beach for recreation;
• Developing habitat for turtle nesting at the back of the beach; and
• Providing a buffer to mitigate wave overtopping and overwash of seawater and sand.

The road is regularly threatened by wave attack during north swell events and during tropical systems. The recently constructed wall may lessen the sand and water overtopping onto the road but has not addressed the overall integrity of the road.

Impact Assessment

There will be both positive and negative impacts from the proposed works at the Sand Street site. The positive impacts are generally longer term benefits after project completion and the negative impact are generally, but not exclusively, impacts during construction. An overview of the impacts is provided below:

Direct Positive Impacts

Tourism and Local Beach Users

• Wider beaches for recreation
• Better access to/from the beach with proposed stairs
• Calmer water for bathing (in places)
• Better pedestrian access along Sand Street near Baia Restaurant

Shore Protection

• Wider beaches buffer storm erosion
• Offshore breakwaters reduce wave impacts on shore
• Protection for trees that are presently threatened by erosion
• More robust foundation and storm resilience for sidewalk & road
• Stronger seawall to resist wave forces
• Better protection of Baia Restaurant

Environment

• Increased and better protected turtle nesting habitat
• Interstitial space in submerged breakwater provides diversity of habitat

Other

• Better emergency access along site during & after an emergency event 

In addition to the positive impacts that are list above, there are many indirect positive impacts that occur as a result of those items listed above. These impacts may include more tourism business for food and lodging and more opportunities for other local businesses.

A high-level summary of potential negative impacts and suggested mitigation measures is provided in the table below:

Summary of Potential Negative Impacts and Mitigation

Negative Impact	Mitigation Approach
Turbidity and physical damage to benthic habitat during construction	In-water working techniques that reduce disturbance and appropriate turbidity control measures and monitoring.
Damage to benthic habitat from access road	Review approach routes from shore and select least disruptive route.
Loss of small trees during construction	Planting of more trees and desired coastal vegetation than the amount displaced.
Blockages of vehicular traffic during construction	Have alternate route signed. Try to minimize duration of disruption.
Safety during construction	Appropriate safety controls during and outside work hours to protect workers and the public.
Disturbance to Baia’s during construction	Attempt to schedule during seasonal and off-peak hours

Background

The overall objective of the approx. 1.9km SLGRB Waterfront Improvement Project is to reduce the risk of coastal erosion and to enhance public access and amenity along the beaches. The overall approach taken to achieve these objectives, which builds on the experience gained with the Richard Haynes Boardwalk (RHB)project, includes the following key features:

• Continuous 3.5 m wide (minimum) waterfront boardwalk generally set behind the beach, with elevations set to balance various factors, including wave overtopping, sand overwash, beach access (including structures that correspond with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements), aesthetics and privacy;
• Rubble mound revetments, buried in the beach where possible, to protect the new boardwalk and landside development;
• Groynes to maintain beach width in specific areas;
• Drainage system in specific areas, including tie-in to/extension of existing drains; and,
• Low level lighting, and various public amenities.

Impact Assessment

Please see the tables in Section 4 of the St. Lawrence Gap, Oistins ESMP document.