STATE government officials will meet with staff from Port of Newcastle and City of Newcastle this week in an effort to resolve the latest Stockton sand debacle.
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A spokeswoman for the Department of Planning and Environment said a roundtable would be held to discuss the cessation of Port of Newcastle placing 30,000 cubic metres of sand off the coast of Stockton each year.
The Newcastle Herald reported on Monday that the port no longer has authority to place the sand, from harbour maintenance dredging, off the coast following a change to legislation last year. Sand was last placed off Stockton by the port's dredger the David Allan in June.
The annual 30,000 dump has been the only guaranteed sand renourishment works to combat the more than 110,000 cubic metres of sand lost annually from Stockton due to erosion.
Under the new legislation "public authorities" are allowed to dump sand off the coast for renourishment, but the NSW government privatised the Port of Newcastle in 2014, with an Australian-Chinese consortium paying $1.75 billion for a 98-year lease.
Experts agree the erosion is caused by deepening of the harbour channel and the harbour breakwaters trapping the northdrift sand at Nobbys. Nobbys was originally an island and had no beach.
While there is general agreement that the project is the most suitable long-term solution for renourishing the beach, the camps remain at odds over who should hold the mining licence.
The council insists the government take ownership of the project and develop a state-wide approach to sustainable sand nourishment to assist all NSW councils.
A council spokeswoman said on Wednesday the design work for sand placement and associated environmental approvals would be finalised over the next few months.
"The new placement plans, based on the most recent sand movement study, ensure that sand is placed in the most effective location," she said.
"These new plans are intended to accommodate the receipt of any and all sources of sand, regardless of the quantity. This includes the smaller volumes of sand sourced from the Port's maintenance dredging activities - as well as any future large-scale dredging required as part of new infrastructure development in the port area."
Sick of the infighting, residents are calling on the parties to work together to get sand back on the beach and ensure properties and assets are protected.
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