The Uglification of Mullins Bay

Shock of shocks, horror of horrors has unfolded on the northern end of the Mullins Bay area with the construction of four new groins (two pictured here) to create more beach area for a new multi-million dollar condominium development going up on the last large parcel of undeveloped beachfront in the area (between Sandridge Hotel and the defunct Kings Beach Hotel). With government doing little or nothing to help control beach erosion on the west coast private developers have taken it into their own hands to hasten the destruction of what was once one of the best beaches in the area. Groins are ugly, don't always do what they are supposed to do (trap sand), create obstacles to walking on the beach, and most importantly, contribute the destruction of beaches nearby. There is no doubt in the minds of locals that the disappearance of the beach at the Sandridge Hotel (pictured in the background) was caused by the awful groin/jetty built just north of it near the Cobblers Cove Hotel in the '70s. People who knew the beach at Sandridge before all the ugly rocks that were placed on land and in the sea now hold their breath at the new unfolding eyesore and destruction that they now have to live with in the area. One would have thought that a submarine barrier such as the ones at Rockely and Haywoods would have been the more enlightened course to follow for big developers with deep pockets (like the ones working on this project); but whereas the few small home owners remaining in the area have to jump through hoops to get permission from "Coastal" to place a few rocks on the beach to stop their homes from falling into the sea, apparently the same rules do not apply to the "big boys" who do not even have so much as a foundation yet for the sea to wash away.

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