2022-09-06 Planning & Environment Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   6 SEPTEMBER 2022




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                              6 SEPTEMBER 2022

               Review and enforcement of current policies and regulations is needed. This includes requirements
               for identification plates to assist in tracking debris movement. Review pontoon design standards
               needs to be prioritized, including increasing pylon heights to prevent pontoons breaking loose.
               Consider banning the use of polystyrene in marine infrastructure - Compared polystyrene toxicity

                with that of asbestos and indicated the need to control polystyrene in the industrial environment.

               Use Save the Waves app to notify authorities in local disasters. The app uses snap send and
               solve principles on a global scale to notify stakeholders on emerging issues.
               Recovery of polystyrene is not over, and it will take time for the impacts of this event to unfold.
               The efforts of all environmental organisations which are still on the front line working to mitigate
               the negative effects of the 2022 flood event was acknowledged.

               7.0.   Community Perspective — Peregian Beach resident
               Photos of daily observations of the polystyrene debris disaster at Noosa open beaches were
               displayed, noting the Brahminy Beach Facebook page was the main source of information for
               many local residents.
               NSC failure to respond to the disaster promptly was highlighted- damages could have been
               reduced if a better response was implemented.
               Improvements to protect local coastal environment and build resilience in the community:
                   e   Noosa Council Disaster Management to review and include a coastal emergency disaster
                       response group.
                   e  A timely and informative dashboard that offers information from visitor agencies, web
                       pages and other areas where people go to gather information from trusted sources.
                   e   Emergency response that is timely and structured around the range of management
                      agencies.
                   e  Community needs clear direction about who will respond to coastal environmental
                      disasters.
                   e  Acoastal disaster management hub at one or more of the existing buildings along Noosa’s
                       Eastern Beaches, with relevant information and adequate clean up material housed in
                       ‘coastal cupboards’ on the side of toilet blocks.
               Importance of improved signage at the beaches during dangerous times was highlighted.
               The lack of clear communication about Noosa Council’s disaster management response reduced
               volunteers’ capability to work and mitigate polystyrene dispersal along the eastern beaches.
               The potential for a regional material recovery processing plant at Gympie was discussed.

              Minutes - Polystyrene Round Table - 21 July 2022                                           Page 8

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