Cape Town - The refurbishment of the Muizenberg beachfront will start next week, with the contractor establishing the site and work areas on Monday.

The City said the project entails major upgrades to public amenities and replacing the aged seawalls.

It will be done in phases over a two-year period with the first work to start on the western side of Surfer’s Corner, next to the railway line, and shortly after on the small eastern parking area at the Muizenberg Civic Centre.

The surf and beach itself will remain open and accessible at all times, however, work areas will be cordoned off as needed in the interest of public safety.

General work will take place from Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 5pm.

Some work may happen after hours, depending on the tides and the stage of the project, the City said.

“We will try our best to mitigate the impact on the local community and users, still, a project of this magnitude will cause inconveniences,” said Deputy Mayor and mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews.

“First off, visitors will have to cope with less parking as we will be closing the informal gravel parking area at the western side of Surfer’s Corner during the first phase of the project.

“In addition, pedestrians will have to take a detour to access the popular St James Walkway while work is happening along this section of the beachfront,” said Andrews.

The upgrade is part of a R413 million City project to improve the resilience of coastline including the sea walls at Strand, Small Bay, and Sea Point; and upgrades of the beachfronts in Monwabisi, Table View, Miller’s Point and Soetwater, Kogel Bay, Macassar and Zandwolf, Mouille Point and Granger Bay.

Following the site handover at Muizenberg on Monday, the contractor will establish its site ancillaries near the waterslides at the junction of Royal and Beach Roads – this includes the construction site offices, storage containers, installation of temporary fencing and signage at the site camp, and the arrival of construction plant and equipment to the work areas at Surfer’s Corner.

“This area will be a beehive of activity with construction vehicles driving up and down Beach Road. There will be congestion and holdups as traffic flow will be impacted. Best is for visitors to park elsewhere within the vicinity of the beachfront and try avoid Beach Road itself on busy days,” Andrews said.

“‘The refurbishment of the Muizenberg beachfront is one of the biggest capital projects the City’s Coastal Management branch will undertake in recent years. We are extremely excited about the revamp and the long-term benefits it will bring to the area, the local community, and visitors. The beach will remain open, but the reality is the work will have an impact on all of those who live and work in Muizenberg, and visitors frequenting the beachfront.”

Public information displays with details about the upgrade have been installed at various points at the Muizenberg beachfront.

These include artist impressions of the refurbishment and design.

Waves for Change will also move to a newly constructed building near the northern corner of the formalised parking area.

The current Waves for Change building will be modified to provide greater adaptive surfing opportunities, storage of beach access mats, equipment and wheelchairs.

The Shark Spotters building remains as is.

Cape Argus