Rawene Road emergency stabilisation work

What the project is

Following cracking and movement in the car park at Rawene Reserve, Birkenhead, it was closed for safety reasons on 20 September 2017. Subsequently two landslides occurred on 8 October 2017 and 28 November 2017.

Council engineers and technical specialists undertook emergency works (including the installation of sheet piles) to stabilise the site during December 2017 and January 2018. All work has been undertaken with geotechnical supervision by council specialists.

Following consultation with the community, a permanent remediation solution for the site was proposed.

Currently the first of three phases of work is nearing completion:

• phase one created a new construction access between the existing carpark and the area where a new carpark will be built
• phase two will repair the slope and add a new public parking area
• phase three involves removing the slip material on public and private land.

We will progress as fast as we can in a safe manner, while trying to minimise disruption to the community.

Project timeframe

• Emergency stabilisation work began on Tuesday 19 December 2017 and was completed in January 2018.
• Phase one is due for completion by early December 2018.
• Phase two will start immediately following phase one and run through mid-January to May 2019 (2018/19 earthworks season).
• Phase three details are yet to be finalised.

​Construction times 

We intend to stop work on weekends and public holidays to minimise disruption to local businesses and residents.

However, some work on weekends, public holidays, or outside normal hours may be necessary to get the work completed on time. We will try to notify affected residents in advance if this is required.

Our normal construction hours are:

• Monday to Friday:
• 6.30am to 7.30am, low level noise activities only
• 7.30am to 6pm, construction work
• 6pm to 8pm, work can continue, but no noisy work.

• Saturday: 7.30am to 6pm

• Sundays and public holidays: No noisy construction work at any point. Site visits may occur on these days.

Access to the area

Access to private parking behind the Birkenhead shops has reopened with temporary access from the western end of the former service road.

The land in the main slip zone is a construction site and is not safe to access. No one should try to access this area, even at times when no work is taking place.

Project updates