MORE than 1100 residents have now signed a petition calling for upgrades to Belmont baths.
Belmont resident Glyn Matthews, organiser of the petition, is pleased Lake Macquarie City Council is taking residents' concerns seriously.
He will give a presentation on his ideas to improve the safety of the swimming spot to councillors at a site inspection next week.
"Basically we want new netting around the baths and sand on the beach," he said.
Mr Matthews said more people would use the baths if they thought it was safe to swim in.
Late last year Lake Macquarie councillors resolved to take no action to install netting or assess council liability if there was a shark attack due to no nets.
The calls for netting of the baths has intensified since Glen Folkard, from Whitebridge, was attacked by a shark while surfing at Redhead Beach.
The two-metre shark mauled the 44-year-old late in the afternoon on January 18.
Nobbys, Newcastle, Bar Beach, Dixon Park, and Merewether were all closed to swimmers last week after six sharks were spotted off beaches along the coast.
Mark Connors
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