The State Government has flagged the transfer of land at Wamberal Beach to Central Coast Council, despite a petition from residents arguing against the transfer.
Five blocks of waterfront land at Wamberal Beach owned by the State Government would be better under the long-term ownership of Council, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said this week.
Scully was responding to a petition lodged in State Parliament arguing against the proposed Wamberal Beach seawall.
MP Abigail Boyd lodged the petition after more than 1,300 residents called for the State Government to stop the transfer of public land and to order Council to halt the seawall until more studies were done.
Scully said the sites were currently in the care, control, and management of Council and the Planning Ministerial Corporation, administered by the Office of Strategic Lands within the Department of Planning, was the registered land owner.
“Council is the local authority, is already looking after the land, and, at this point in time, is the best placed agency to take long-term ownership of the properties, and determine what future actions, if any, should occur,” he said.
Scully acknowledged the petitioners’ views about the proposed erosion mitigation works, including flood risk and impact to ecosystems.
“Wamberal beach has a long history of coastal erosion,” he said.
With one management plan set to expire on December 31, Council is currently preparing a replacement coastal management program.
It is working with land owners for a whole of embayment Development Application for a seawall.
“Any development application lodged for the proposed seawall will be assessed on its merit by the applicable consent authority,” Scully said.
“As part of this process, the content authority will consider whether the proposed development will cause unacceptable environmental impacts and request additional studies into impacts on flooding, if the information provided at the time of lodgement is considered inadequate.
“Once a DA has been lawfully lodged, the act provides a formal assessment pathway for stakeholders and other interested parties to object to a proposed development.”
The decision has been criticised by community group Wamberal Save Our Sand (SOS), which is urging residents who oppose a seawall to write to a State Government inquiry with their concerns.
A parliamentary inquiry into how the planning system can ensure that people and the environment are protected from climate change impacts was established on August 23.
It is looking into development in areas vulnerable to rising sea levels, coastal erosion and flood-prone areas and in areas with threatened ecological communities or wildlife habitats.
“That’s us here in Wamberal with the proposed seawall,” SOS spokesperson Corinne Lamont said.
SOS is hoping enough submissions will be received to encourage the inquiry to invite the group to give evidence at committee hearings.
Lamont said the inquiry will also examine the adequacy of planning powers and planning bodies, taking into account the cumulative impacts of development, climate change and changing social, economic and environmental circumstances.
“Once again, this is exactly what we are dealing with in relation to the proposed seawall,” she said.
“The inquiry also seeks to identify what short, medium and long-term planning reforms may be necessary to ensure communities are able to mitigate and adapt to conditions caused by changing environmental and climatic conditions.
“We all have something to say about that in relation to the proposed seawall, the beach and lagoon area.
“We have a bit to say about Council on this as well.”
Meanwhile a landowner has submitted a development application to Council for a three storey six-bedroom home to be built at 67 Ocean View Dr, Wamberal Beach.
The entire development is to be founded on piles designed to support the loads of the structure and other conventional structural actions, plus allowing for wave impact loading and loading from a collapsing sand dune during or following storm erosion.
“All piles, reinforced concrete beams and slabs are designed to resist vertical loads and will be designed for conventional lateral actions such as wind and earthquake as well as the lateral loads arising from coastal hazards such as dune slumping, loss of support and erosion,” the application says.
The waterfront home, estimated to cost almost $2.7M to build, would be placed three metres back from the proposed revetment wall.
Council is working with beachfront land owners for a whole of embayment development application for a seawall based on the Minimum Engineering Design Requirements Council adopted in October 2022.
Council has said it would make provision in its long-term financial plan to provide coastal protection works fronting Council-owned land at the beach access ways and Wamberal Surf Lifesaving Club.
Chair of the Parliamentary Committee inquiry, Sue Higginson, said it was critical that the planning system takes into account the impacts of climate change on communities and the environment, so planning bodies can make appropriate decisions that avoid increasing the risks of harmful effects on the environment through development.
“I expect there will be significant public interest in this inquiry because the planning system affects all of us and the way we live every day in our local environments,” Higgins said.
The committee is calling for public submissions, which can be lodged via the committee’s website until November 3.
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=2987
Merilyn Vale