Residents have been campaigning for years for official access through Hunter Water land to the beach after severe erosion has severely limited beach amenity on the peninsula.

Hunter Water has spent more than $5 million on works north of Corroba Oval, including erecting a temporary seawall at an old council rubbish tip that was exposed to the ocean due to erosion.

In recent weeks work has begun at the entrance to the site to remove bitou bush and illegally dumped rubbish.

Northside Boardriders' Club president Simon Jones said there were fears about loss of access to a 3km strip of beach used by surfers due to worsening erosion at the southern end of the beach.

Mr Jones said four of the five competitions hosted by the boardriders' club last year were held north of Corroba Oval. "I'd say 90 per cent of people who surf in Stockton do so in that area," he said.

A Hunter Water spokesman said the organisation understod the community's "desire regarding beach access".

"To contain the historic rubbish, we are capping the landfill site with a layer of geotextile fabric under clean sand so we can then revegetate the area with native species," he said.

"So the native coastal vegetation can establish we are fencing in the former landfill site to reduce people's exposure to the site and protect the vegetation, the mulch and clean sand from off-road vehicles."

The work is expected to be complete by the end of July. Stockton Community Liaison Group chairperson Barbara Whitcher wrote to Hunter Water last week in an effort to push the need for beach access.

Ms Whitcher said if access wasn't granted through the Hunter Water land, the nearest beach access for surfers was 7.5 kilometres away at Fern Bay.

"By including community involvement and pedestrian access, it would provide a pathway to keep watch over the Hunter Water land by enlisting many eyes via the local community," she said. "We also remain hopeful that you will include some form of beach access and parking for local community events such as the Northside Boardriders competitions."

Hunter Water's long-term plan is to stop illegal dumping and vehicle access to the former wastewater treatment site. "We look forward to continuing our conversation with the community in the next few weeks to work with them to find the best, long-term solution for beach access near the site," he said.

"We are willing to work collaboratively with City of Newcastle and other stakeholders to find the best solution to progress the pedestrian beach access."