2021-10-08 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                   8 OCTOBER 2021


Community comment                                       Proposed response
General – CHAP approach
The argument against purchasing private land            The CHAP options assessment look at a range of
needs to be better fleshed out than is currently the    adaptation responses for the various localities. This
case in the draft CHAP. The arguments must              includes the option of land buy back. This option
consider the reasonable forewarning of coastal          looked at what opportunities could be available for
property holders (we’ve known about climate             Council to acquire properties impacted by coastal
change since the 1980s). There is also the              erosion. This also included options for temporary
reasonable argument that the entire Noosa               lease back to the property owners. The cost benefit
community should not be expected to finance the         analysis demonstrated that this option does not
purchasing of private land where the landowner has      deliver sufficient benefits and therefore is not
had decades of time to consider the potential           feasible for further consideration at this stage.
impacts of climate change on their asset. A more
fervent appraisal of this matter may help stave off
future councils from wanting to appease individual
property owners through purchasing their land.
Coastal hazard modelling and mapping
Concerns about RCP8.5 high emissions scenario           - The State Government QCoast2100 program
and sea level rise assumptions used for modelling         under which the CHAP has been developed
coastal hazards given global efforts towards              requires that councils consider the impacts of the
emissions reduction.                                      sea level rise on coastal hazards to the year
Object to the worse-case scenario modelling used          2100. Mapping has been provided for present
to inform the mapping – need to consider multiple         day, 2040, 2070 and 2100 time periods.
climate change scenarios across a range of low to       - Council is required by the State Government to
high emissions pathways.                                  use +0.8m sea level rise by year 2100. Legal
Sea levels will not reach the levels being projected.     opinion has recommended this since 2014.
Use local data, especially Mooloolaba tide and          - The State’s technical guidelines require the use of
satellite altimetry data, to measure and monitor sea      the 1%AEP design storm event for consistency
level rise.                                               for the purpose of updating the State’s erosion
Concerns about the design storm event used for            prone area mapping. In terms of storm severity,
modelling coastal erosion (1% annual exceedance           this is the equivalent of a ‘major’ storm event.
probability), otherwise known as a 1 in 100 year        - The CHAP mapping will be used to update the
storm event.                                              State mapping and has been signed off by the
Modelling does not consider long term beach               Department of Environment and Science.
accretion along Eastern Beaches, existence of           - The modelling acknowledges the long period of
coffee rock, and existence of vegetation on the           accretion of the Eastern Beaches that has
dunes.                                                    followed major erosion events in the 70s from
Presentation of risk maps in the CHAP is                  tropical cyclones.
misleading by creating the perception of ‘erosion       - The modelling also acknowledges that dune
cliff faces’, thereby misrepresenting risks. Mapping      vegetation has a role in capturing wind swept
should be communicated in a manner that is not            sand thereby helping with accretion but the
overstating the risks.                                    vegetation may not play a significant role in
Do not accept that the CHAP and supporting                stopping or reducing erosion during major storm
reports accurately determine the land now and in          events.
the future at risk of erosion.                          - The modelling and mapping, including local data,
There are beachfront properties unfairly captured in      will continue to be reviewed as new information is
the risk zones, when they aren’t exposed until            made available.
2100.                                                   - Council will continue to enhance its program of
Mapping is not reasonable or appropriate to inform        monitoring and data collection to validate
a change to the Noosa Plan 2020.                          assumption and inform future adaptation
                                                          responses in partnership with the State
CHAP will need to be regularly reviewed in coming         Government, research agencies, CSIRO and the
years as improved information and modelling               Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) where able.
methods evolve.
                                                        - Council will document concerns raised about
                                                          modelling scenarios and use of local data and

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