Beach erosion along the Mid North Coast is expected this week with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a warning for high tides through until Thursday (June 16).
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Lake Cathie residents say they are "very concerned" about the beach erosion near Illaroo Road, fearing the high tides combined with heavy surf, will lead to the collapse of the road.
Lake Cathie resident Gail Williams, who has been living in the area for 20 years, said the erosion is getting progressively worse.
"In the last 18 months or so, it's been much worse," she said. "It's not good for the area, and I'm concerned for all the houses that are badly affected along Illaroo Road.
"At one stage there was quite a wide area of sand that swept down before you got down to the water, but now there's very little beach.
You can put a band-aid on a broken leg and it might look good, but its not going to fix the problem.
- Gail Williams
"I think the council and the state government need to take action before the Illaroo Road collapses."
The push to find a solution to the erosion along Illaroo Road has been an ongoing process for a number of years.
In 2007, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council commenced work on the Lake Cathie Coastal Zone Management Plan and, in 2014, a rock revetment wall was identified as the preferred option to address coastal erosion.
The council has also looked into an Illaroo Road stormwater redirection program. However, in March the council moved a motion at an extraordinary meeting to defer the project until an assessment of coastal hazard protection options had been identified.
Residents say they are confused as to what the next steps are in fixing the problem.
"There's some suggestion that it's the stormwater drains that are doing it but the whole beach is eroding, so it's more the surf that we have had lately that is doing it," Ms Williams said.
"The drains are not the essential problem, the essential problem is the beach erosion and we really need a revetment wall to stop the whole area from collapsing into the beach.
"I think there needs to be a comprehensive evaluation of what needs to be done rather than a simple band-aid.
"You can put a band-aid on a broken leg and it might look good, but its not going to fix the problem."
President of the Lake Cathie Progress Association Wendy Dunn, said the recent high tides are a growing concern.
"We have a lot of concerns for Illaroo Road, something needs to be done," she said.
"We continue to keep having these high tides, and its going to cause more and more erosion, so the problem just gets bigger.
"We are very worried about the road collapsing and we would like to know what the council is doing to fix the problem."
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is currently formulating a response to residents' concerns.
- Additional reporting, Emily Walker
