Beaches in the north of the Gosford Local Government Area are being neglected while Peninsula beaches are being taken care of, according to the secretary of Coastal Residents Incorporation, Mr Pat Aiken.
According to Mr Aiken, the sandbag wall currently under construction along The Esplanade between Ettalong and Ocean Beaches could suggest the Peninsula is getting preferential treatment when it comes to managing the effects of sea level rise, such as erosion.
Mr Aiken made the observation when commenting on the closing date for public submissions on the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Gosford Open Beaches on Friday, October 9.
“At Ettalong, they are very fortunate because all that work is being done there, yet Wamberal and Terrigal are being wiped out and there is no talk about Council doing any work there,” Mr Aiken said.
He said the Peninsula beaches appear to be receiving funding and there is no talk of a “beneficiary pays” approach to managing the impact of sea level rise.
“But with beaches on the northern side, that is a different story altogether, they are putting in quite stringent development constraints,” he said.
No hazard definition study has been carried out for Ettalong, according to Mr Aiken.
“That means property owners in Ettalong have got a major advantage because there is nobody saying properties are going to be affected by coastal erosion and they are going ahead and doing the actual work, while the coastal zone management plan for Wamberal is an absolute disaster.
“It is good for the Peninsula, I support it 100 per cent, I think it is great,” he said. However, Mr Aiken said he thinks Gosford Council should shift its focus from the Gosford CBD to fostering more redevelopment in areas more likely to be affected by sea level rise in the decades ahead.
“The reality is, redevelopment in places like Ettalong, Woy Woy and Umina over the next 20 years is going to provide better amenity, increase the amount of housing for a growing population and support youth in terms of jobs.”
Mr Aiken has also raised concerns that “planned retreat” appears to remain on Gosford Council’s agenda for some low-lying areas. “The recently implemented amended Gosford Council Development Control Plan (DCP) for Coastal Frontages still clearly refers to planned retreat and it is planned that the revised DCP be used to form a new DCP to implement the new CZMP.
“Despite the reduction of 140mm in the projected sea level rise (SLR) benchmark as applied in Gosford Council’s new SLR Policy, there does not appear to be a commensurate movement seaward of the proposed building line.
“Without the benefit of providing some discussion on how this was done and without the benefit of mapping that contains both the new “building line” and relevant hazard lines to allow comparison, it would be reasonable for many affected residents to believe that Council has not provided the full benefit of the downward revision of its SLR policy.”
Email, 6 Oct 2015
Interview, 8 Oct 2015
Pat Aiken, Coastal
Residents Incorporated
Reporter: Jackie Pearson