The plan for the ‘development’ of Manoel Island seems to include three major faults.

One, there is no wide, tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly pavement between the bridge and the open area adjacent to the fort. If this is meant to be public open space, then easy and pleasant access is needed. Two, the old isolation hospital is to be repurposed, not a bad thing in itself. A building that does not earn its keep will inevitably deteriorate. However, very robust safeguards and guaranteed public access are needed for this historically-important item.

This was the headquarters of the 10th Submarine Squadron during WWII and the underground chambers are still there. When last seen (1972), a lot of equipment was still there, slowly mouldering away. The interior of the hospital is decorated by various graffiti, mementoes of people kept there for a prolonged period, among them the autograph of Byron, no less.

Three, the solid breakwater proposed is a recipe for disaster. The little creeks either side of the bridge are funnel-shaped, so wind piles water, one side or the other. This picks up speed in the constriction under the bridge, scouring the channel. Should this flow be interrupted, the entire area, including the creeks, will silt up.

It is necessary to break up waves without obstructing the flow, which can be achieved using well-established methods. One is to place pontoons in line, well anchored and interlinked. Another is using a barrier dependent on wave interference rather than physical obstruction. Two or three lines of vertical columns, with spaces in between and staggered between rows, will do the trick. Incoming waves hitting a column will break up into smaller concentric waves radiating out, which will reliably destroy one another, a process known as ‘wave interference’.

The time to consider the remedying of any deficiencies is at the planning stage, now.