Works progress on 50 metre rock bag structure on Stockton Beach

Rock bags will be integrated into future works to reduce the risk of damage at The Pines, which is the area surrounding the war memorial on Mitchell Street. Design and assessment is now underway for works in this area.

The works are aimed at combating severe erosion that has plagued Stockton beach over the years.

Excavation has uncovered concrete tank traps used in World War II as well as dumped building waste.

The work comes after the NSW government placed an initial 130,000 cubic metres of sand on Stockton Beach in 2023.

City of Newcastle is also undertaking regular sand scraping to accelerate sand movement, the most recent of which took place in May.

The council has estimated that 2.4 million cubic metres of sand will be needed for long-term replenishment of the beach.

Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the council was working closely with the NSW government on the investigations around the offshore sand nourishment.

"The NSW government has committed to the $21 million," she said.

"All of the studies to allow that offshore dredging are taking place.

"As soon as that review of environmental factors and the resolution around the mining license at a NSW government level is completed, my expectation is that dredging will start which is fantastic because this is a multifaceted approach."

Stockton Community Liaison Group representative Barbara Whitcher said the works completed so far had resulted in the beach coping well with the recent big swells and intense rain.

"We just had some very bad weather and if it hadn't been for that sand scraping and the formation of those small dunes we would actually have had water go into the caravan park, and we would have had more erosion and undermining," she said.

"We know that this is really a temporary protection measure and we have more permanent protection measures but they are all essential while we're waiting for the massive sand injection all along our beach."

An extended coastal management plan is being developed for Stockton, which is expected to be exhibited publicly over summer.

It will expand on a coastal management plan from 2020 by including more long-term actions for mass sand nourishment and increasing the geographical area to include the northern end of Stockton Beach to the Port Stephens boundary.