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overview

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on how you use the coastline from south Crowdy Head down to Wallabi Point.

Your feedback will help us develop a draft Old Bar Manning Point Coastal Management Program to set the long-term strategy for the management of the coast.

The Old Bar Manning Point Coastal Management Program will identify coastal management issues and the actions required to address these issues. It will outline how and when the actions will be implemented, their costs and proposed cost-sharing arrangements and other viable funding options.

Feedback closed 4:30pm Sunday 18 February 2024.


Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Mid 2023

    Scoping study

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    November 2023 - February 2024

    Asking the community for their input to find out how they use the area

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    February - April 2024

    Consider community feedback and evaluate management options

  • Timeline item 4 - complete

    April - May 2024

    Recruitment of focus group

  • Timeline item 5 - active

    May - July 2024

    Options evaluation with focus group and drafting of program

  • Timeline item 6 - incomplete

    April -July 2025

    After public exhibition, feedback will be considered and the program finalised for consideration by the elected Councillors before being submitted to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Background

NSW Councils are required to prepare coastal management programs for their coastal areas to set the long-term strategy for the coordinated management of the coast. These programs replace the former Coastal Zone Management Plans that were previously prepared under the Coastal Protection Act 1979.

The Old Bar Manning Point Program is part of a larger project that will be integrated with the future Open Coast Coastal Management Program. Council committed to advance the Old Bar Manning Point Program ahead of the broader project because of concerns about rapid coastal erosion and shoreline recession in this area and the need to provide the community with a clear direction about how this area is to be managed in the future.

Old Bar to Manning Point Coastal Erosion Hazard Mapping Update

As part of the development of a coastal management program for the Old Bar- Manning Point area the hazard risk mapping for the area has been updated. This map shows the predicted continual impact of coastal erosion and shoreline recession in the area in the period to 2100.

This mapping provides important technical information to support the coastal management program, which when certified will provide an avenue of funding for management actions identified in the program.

The updated hazard mapping uses a probabilistic modelling methodology, which was supported by ground penetrating radar surveys to understand the natural resistance to coastal erosion.

The mapping shows that for the most part, the residential area of Wallabi Point will be protected by the bedrock underlying that area. North of Wallabi Point to approximately south of the Old Bar Public School will continue to recede and be vulnerable to coastal erosion with significant impacts on private properties, Council assets and essential services like telecommunications, water and sewer.

The Manning Point settlement has a high probability of being significantly impacted as a result of coastal recession with a significant proportion of properties impacted between 2060-2100.


ISSUES AND OPTIONS DISCUSSION PAPER

An important exercise in the Program is to identify issues that are relevant to the coast and to propose management actions to address those issues. An Issues and Options Discussion Paper was prepared that captured the various issues raised by our communities, by the Community Reference Group, Council officers and external agencies. All of the management issues and actions identified were then subject to multicriteria analysis that was undertaken by an external consultant. Many of the actions were eliminated as a result of that process.

A copy of the Issues and Option Discussion Paper will be available online soon.


multicriteria ANALYSIS

The assessment of management actions against specific criteria is a requirement of the Coastal Management Plan process. The 73 actions identified were divided into 3 categories.

The first are ‘no regrets’ options and include low-cost, low-risk, business-as-usual type actions. Some examples are preparing additional strategies or asset management plans and amending the planning framework. These were included in the Draft CMP without further consideration.

The second category were those with a cost greater than $20M and considered by the Consultant to be those that are outside the Program funding process. These actions were not evaluated further.

The last category was all remaining options. We considered these options against the following criteria:

  • feasibility - would it work?
  • affordability – can it be funded and is it affordable?
  • fairness - does it impose unreasonable obligations on the broader community and future generations?

The analysis was undertaken by the Project Team (excluding Council officers), the Community Reference Group and 15 community members.

A copy of the Multicriteria Analysis can be found in the document library below.


NEXT STEPS

The Program has been drafted and sent to the NSW Government for preliminary review. A further Council briefing will take place in February. It is hoped that the draft Program will be exhibited in early 2025.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and live, the Gathang-speaking people and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who now reside in the MidCoast Council area. We extend our respect to elders past and present, and to all future cultural-knowledge holders.

Contact us

Email: haveyoursay@midcoast.nsw.gov.au

www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au

General enquiries - (02)7955 7777

Open Monday - Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm (excluding public holidays)

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