The leaning arch of Kiama is to be stabilised, with Kiama Council agreeing to spend an estimated $220,000 on the project.
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Concerns about the tilting Memorial Arch in Hindmarsh Park were raised by the Kiama-Jamberoo RSL sub-branch in 2012.
The arch was officially unveiled on Anzac Day 1925 by NSW premier Sir George Fuller.
The lean has been traced back to 1953 and has been closely monitored by the council over the past 15 years.
Kiama Council’s director of engineering and works Bryan Whittaker said although the arch was leaning two degrees to the north, the 200 tonne structure was ‘‘sound and intact’’.
Council investigations have identified the arch was built on uncontrolled fill, approximately six metres deep, in an area that used to be Kiama’s tip.
A creek that once flowed through Hindmarsh Park was piped about six metres underground in the early 1900s.
Mr Whittaker said stabilisation of the arch would require piles some 11 to 12 metres deep to meet hard rock, which accounts for a large component of the cost of the work.
The council had requested $100,000 from the Federal Government for the project and was given $16,500.
The council had also asked the NSW Government for $77,200 for the project, but was given $30,000.
Mr Whittaker said the council was grateful for the contributions from both levels of government as it was essentially a council project.
The shortfall of around $130,000 will come from the council’s general funds, with the work scheduled to commence after Anzac Day 2015.
RSL sub-branch president Ian Pullar praised the council for its support for the arch stabilisation works and also for the RSL’s proposal to have the Centenary of Anzac logo painted on the Kiama lighthouse.
The council is currently preparing a heritage assessment on the lighthouse for the NSW Crown Lands Division before the proposal can be placed on public exhibition.