2021-01-18 GC - Item 3 - Attachment 1 - Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan for Community Consultation

Executive Summary
It is widely acknowledged that local governments across Australia are on the front line when it
comes to experiencing and responding to the impacts of climate change, and Noosa is no different.
It is likely that many natural hazard risks will worsen, and some new ones may emerge, as a result
of climate change. Therefore, it is critical that all local governments, including Noosa Council,
ensure these risks are better understood, and plans are developed to respond to these where
required, consistent with existing risk management frameworks.

Noosa Council is responding to potential climate change-induced risks by undertaking a multi-year
project to develop a climate change adaptation program in order to build adaptive capacity within
Council and across the community. The coastal hazards component of the program will be guided
by a Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan (CHAP). The CHAP (this plan) is funded by a grant
agreement with the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), under the Queensland
Department of Environment and Science’s (DES) QCoast2100 initiative.

The QCoast2100 initiative has been designed to assist Queensland coastal local governments with
funding and technical guidance to support the preparation of plans that identify and respond to
likely changes in coastal hazard risks caused by rising sea levels.

This plan is intended to guide decision-making across key areas of Council, including:

   •   Corporate and operational planning and financial planning;
   •   Land use planning and development assessment;
   •   Infrastructure planning, design and management including roads, stormwater and
       foreshores;
   •   Management of non-infrastructure assets including conservation and recreational areas;
   •   Community resilience planning; and
   •   Emergency management.

Work on the CHAP commenced in early 2017, and has progressed over that time in stages, guided
by important input from the Noosa community and Council staff. Several background studies were
completed and used to inform this plan, in alignment with technical requirements provided by DES.
These studies reveal Noosa should expect negative impacts to increase as a result of a range of
coastal hazards, particularly towards the latter half of this century, and that proactive and well
considered actions are required to prepare and manage these risks.

Specifically, these technical studies reveal that without an appropriate response, increasing
impacts from coastal erosion are likely for the open coast areas (i.e. Peregian Beach to Sunshine
Beach, Noosa Heads, and Noosa North Shore), having a high impact particularly on privately-
owned assets and some Council infrastructure (e.g. roads and recreational areas), as well as the
beaches themselves.

Areas along the Lower Noosa River (Noosa Heads, Tewantin, and in particular Noosaville and
Noosa North Shore) will be increasingly at risk due to inundation associated with rising sea levels.
With inundation, the greatest level of exposure and impacts are expected to be felt by Council
infrastructure (e.g. stormwater networks, open space, roads), some private property, as well as
indirect consequences for adjacent retail and commercial activities.

These studies also highlight a range of adaptation options to help reduce risks to an acceptable
level.

This plan presents a summary of the findings of each of these studies, as well as a set of preferred
long-term adaptation outcomes and short-term actions for the areas of most concern within
Noosa’s coastal zone.

Noosa Council – Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan 2020 - 2030 (community consultation version)   Page 2