Sensitive work: Council’s beach scraping at New Brighton has been welcomed by some and deplored by others because of its perceived environmental impact. Council’s coastal officer Ben Fitzgibbon said that $87,200 state and federal funding, out of a total cost of $160,500, will go towards the foreshore management works. ‘Building up the dune sand reserves will increase the natural buffer the dune system provides against short term coastal erosion and inundation,’ Mr Fitzgibbon said. The work, which runs until September 30, will be accompanied by a biological monitoring program. Photo Eve Jeffery

Byron Shire Council has welcomed the state government’s new coastal planning guidelines. According to Byron Shire Council’s executive manager of planning Ray Darney, The NSW Coastal Planning Guideline: Adapting to Sea Level Rise ‘fits well’ alongside Council’s current coastal planning.

Mr Darney said the Shire has been advocating and supporting a precautionary approach for development in known coastal risk areas for over twenty years.

‘The guidelines require all proponents, including Council and state agencies, to demonstrate they can manage potential coastal risks,’ Mr Darney said. ‘Risk management includes Council’s duty of care to ensure future planning does not place future costs on to the broader community. ‘The guidelines support sustainable development practices that balance social, economic and environmental considerations, all known priorities for Byron Shire.’

Identifying coastal risks

He said the state government’s recognition of adaptive strategies, identifying coastal risks and informed land use planning, was a welcomed acknowledgement of Council’s current planning approach for coastal risk areas.
‘The guidelines are complementary to Council’s existing Development Control Plans, Local Environmental Plan and the recent Council adopted Coastal Zone Management Plan,’ Mr Darney said.

‘The acknowledgement of design constraints, trigger and/or time-limited approvals and identification of development controls on 149 certificates are all current Byron Shire practices.’

Mr Darney said one area of difficulty in the guidelines was measuring the impact from protection works that may be permitted under the DECCW draft Coastal Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2010.

Potential impacts

‘The potential impacts from interim coastal protection works on neighbouring properties could make protective works problematic in some coastal areas,’ he said.

The Department of Planning received over 90 submissions on the draft Guideline which was placed on exhibition on November 5 last year.

It can be downloaded from www.planning.nsw.gov.au/PlansforAction/Coastalprotection/SeaLevelRisePolicy/tabid/177/Default.aspx