2022-11-14 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                14 NOVEMBER 2022


The Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan 2021 (CHAP) identifies coastal hazard risks from coastal
erosion, stormtide inundation and sea level rise to infrastructure, development and natural values.
The CHAP sets out management actions to mitigate these risks for each locality along the Eastern
Beaches. This has informed the development of the priorities within the EBFMP.
The CHAP also identifies the management and rehabilitation of dunal vegetation as “a critical and
immediate priority for Council and the community in helping to build climate resilience”. Other
priorities identified include working with bushcare groups; relocating or re-designing natural area
public foreshore infrastructure to better preserve the integrity of the dunes and withstand expected
worsening weather conditions; minimising off-track foot traffic; increasing community
understanding of the values of dunes and dunal vegetation; and the management and alignment
of the lowest reaches of some coastal creeks.
The Noosa Bushland Reserves Strategic Management Plan 2021-2026 also specifies the
development of a coastal management plan for bushland reserves. The draft EBFMP provides
important policy direction to help prioritise the management of bushfire risk, fire access trails and
fuel reduction zones along the Eastern Beaches. The draft plan takes account of important
learnings from the recent Peregian fires in 2019.
Encroachments in Public Foreshore Reserve Areas
Encroachments into the Eastern Beaches foreshore reserves have been identified as a significant
issue through internal and external community consultation. Encroachments can include damage
to vegetation, filling, dumping rubbish, yard extensions, private infrastructure and unauthorised
planting. This has been the subject of a recent petition requesting Council take a “proactive, zero
tolerance approach to illegal appropriation of public land, degradation of public land through
removal of native vegetation, the unauthorised planting on public land, and the dumping of rubbish
or landfill on public land”. Community groups wish to see immediate action from Council to seek
rectification of encroachments, irrespective of past practices, and to take a firm stand on this issue.
The draft EBFMP seeks a clear and consistent policy approach and additional resources to
manage encroachments that better meets community expectations and protects the social and
environmental values of the Eastern Beaches foreshore reserves.
Internal consultation during the development of the draft EBFMP has made it clear that an
encroachments policy needs to be shire-wide and apply to all types of Council managed land,
rather than just to the Eastern Beaches foreshore reserves. A shire-wide and comprehensive
Council managed land encroachments policy is currently being developed. Public consultation is
planned for early next year and will include both targeted and broad community consultation. Policy
development includes intensive internal consultation with several areas of Council.
Finance & Resources
Current Council bush rehabilitation contractor funds are restricted to 3 labour days per Eastern
Beaches foreshore reserve. Other rehabilitation is delivered by an annual $75,000 multi-year grant
from Council’s Environment Levy Fund to the Coastal Connect project. The bush rehabilitation
contractors for Coast Connect are managed by volunteer Community Bushland Care team leaders.
This imposes a significant workload on the volunteers. Both the volunteers and Council’s Natural
Areas and Bushcare staff support transiting this rehabilitation work back to Council as core
business rather than it being delivered through the Coast Connect project.
Preliminary costings have been developed to help inform future budget deliberations and provide
an indication of ongoing resources needed for implementation of the proposed management
actions in the plan. Costings are annual and relate to three critical elements of the plan, and are
subject to site-specific planning, design and community consultation:
     Increased and ongoing resources for ecological restoration of Eastern Beaches bushland
      reserves, including dedicated staff resources to manage increased restoration.
     Transfer of ecological restoration planning, contract management and administration from
      volunteers to Council staff


                                                                                         Page 5 of 62