Lawrencetown Beach is home to the some of the best surfing in the Nova Scotia; however the community is concerned about the state of the popular surf spot.
Surfers say the boardwalks are falling apart and recently, large piles of gravel showed up on the green space which they use to change out of their wetsuits. The spot is also used for wind surfers to rig up their sails.
Visitors discovered a number of green spaces in the parking lot had been bulldozed on Thursday to make room for more parking.
"What are they going to gain, 10 spots or so from putting all the gravel there? This is a huge parking lot, that's marginal; I don't see the benefit," says surfer Jacob Taljaard.
City councillor David Hendsbee says it’s for the benefit of the public.
"On some hot summer days the parking lot gets full and people start parking on the 207 Highway which becomes a dangerous situation. For the public's safety, they're trying to improve the capacity of the parking lot," says Hendsbee.
As a provincial park, Lawrencetown Beach is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources. Surfers expressed their concerns and DNR halted the removal of one of the green spaces. However, surfers still have questions.
"What happens to the dunes when there's no more boardwalk, will people walk on them? How does that affect erosion, what happens when people want to have a picnic? Who is making these decisions and why doesn't anyone know about them?" says Beth Amiro with the Surfing Association of Nova Scotia Surfers.
In a written statement to CTV News DNR states: “Lawrencetown is one of the most picturesque beaches in our province and we want to keep it that way for generations to use and enjoy. The work that is currently taking place is to address safety and maintenance issues.”
They also say public meetings will be held later this summer.
Surfers at the beach hope they will have a chance to speak up, before any more changes come in the following months.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Allan April
