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EASTERN BEACHES FORESHORE RESERVES MANAGEMENT PLAN - COMMUNITY CONSULTATION OVERVIEW AND PROPOSED CHANGES (REFERRED FROM PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE DATED 8 AUGUST 2023 - ITEM 5.1)

Environment Officer Coastal Management, Melissa Coyle · Strategy and Environment Department

Executive summary

This report summarises community input received during the public consultation period for the draft Eastern Beaches Foreshore Management Plan, Council's proposed response, and a revised Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan for Council approval.

Recommendation

That Council note the report by the Environment Officer – Coastal Management to the Planning & Environment Committee meeting dated 8 August 2023 regarding the Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan and community consultation and:

  1. Note the community input received during the public consultation period for the draft Eastern Beaches Foreshore Management Plan and Council's proposed response;
  2. Approve the revised Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan for implementation
  • provided at Attachment 1; and
  1. Authorise the Chief Executive Officer to make minor changes or amendments to the document prior to publishing on Council's website.

Report

Background – Noosa’s Vision, Principles and Values Council's revised Corporate Plan 2023-2028 notes that historically, Noosa has chosen a different path to other councils and continues to build upon this successful legacy and reap the benefits, with large tracts of retained vegetation, the healthiest waterways in the region, and an engaged and active community. These great strengths also form the basis of Noosa’s economy, creating a point of difference, recognised brand and green credentials, encouraging people from all over the world to visit and enjoy Noosa’s natural environment. The Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves exemplify this statement and are an iconic part of Noosa’s coastal landscape and are central to Noosa’s coastal neighbourhoods - most of our seaside residents and communities live alongside them. They are central to the Noosa resident and visitor experience, with many people walking through the reserves to access Noosa’s beaches, enjoying the beautiful views the area has to offer. Community Bushland Care volunteers are very active across the Eastern Beaches, with seven groups working at multiple sites in and next to the reserves. The Community's approach to their environment – being connected, engaged and inspired by our unique environment - was brought to the fore during community consultation for the Noosa Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan (CHAP) 2021. “There is a strong preference for nature-based solutions that fit with the look and feel of Noosa, and that minimise impacts to natural environments,” and, “natural and scenic amenity assets are considered to have the highest intrinsic value to the community” (CHAP, 2021:18).

Community consultation The public consultation period for the draft Eastern Beaches Foreshore Management Plan was held from 20 February 2023 to 20 March 2023 and was extended to 31 March 2023. The following promotional activities were undertaken to notify the public of the consultation period: • The draft plan was made available on the Your Say webpage. • Notification of the public consultation period was emailed to stakeholders. • The consultation was advertised on social and traditional media. • A notice was included in the January rates notice to residents. Council ran an online survey (204 respondents), 13 pop up events (485 people engaged), 3 public roundtable workshops (28 participants), 2 dedicated roundtables with the Eastern Beaches Protection Association (eight participants) and received 92 written submissions. The January 2023 rates notice insert included information about the consultation process. This was not delivered to people who receive rates notices electronically. Consequently, Council officers emailed the insert to people who receive rates notices electronically in mid-March and extended the consultation to end March to allow more time for people to provide feedback. Independent engagement consultants analysed data from the community roundtables, online survey, and popup events. The data was broken down into plan themes and considered as part of the plan’s review. This engagement analysis is attached to this Council Report as Attachment 3.

Community input and proposed Council responses The input comments were varied, demonstrating the broad range of community groups and individual respondents. Areas of interest included: • A desire to change the scope, focus and objectives of the plan - some community members felt all programs, activities, and planning for the Eastern Beaches should be in one document. • A desire for consultation earlier in the process of drafting the plan. • Misdirected priorities, over-emphasis/exaggeration of the issue of encroachments. • A desire for action on encroachments versus others who felt there should be less focus on encroachments. • Actions tied to objectives, better measures of outcomes, and increased monitoring. • The need for more on ground works and greater efforts to control weeds. There were also several comments regarding other locations such as Main Beach, Noosa River and Noosa North Shore, open space parks, national parks and private land and other matters relating to Noosa’s CHAP, Noosa's Planning Scheme and the Open Space Strategy. Community input and officer observations about these other issues will be forwarded to the relevant sections of Council for consideration. Community input and subsequent plan review resulted in the following key improvements: • The scope of the plan has been better described and renamed as the Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan to better reflect the area the plan addresses. • Interaction with other programs and activities in and near the Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves are better described. • Statements about the reserves’ environmental values and climate change are better referenced. • Condition mapping, restoration targets, ecological restoration plans and on ground works are better described. • Objectives in each theme section have been better linked to management outcomes in each theme. Each action has been allocated a time frame, and a measures table included with each theme to help with monitoring progress and success. • Encroachments are now dealt with specifically under a separate Encroachments Policy and Procedure which applies to all Council-managed land across the Shire. • The themes have been reordered.

Summary of issues raised and proposed responses

COMMUNITY INPUT

COUNCIL RESPONSE

Consultation process Consultation inadequate, Please see consultation description above. consultation time too short, not adequately promoted.

Scope The scope is flawed and does not The plan has been updated to better describe focus on or fund priority issues – coastal creek erosion, stormwater and e.g. stormwater and treated wastewater projects and funding, and how they sewage. All actions to do with the interact with the plan and are being acted upon. Eastern Beaches should be in one plan. The environmental values of the Objectives reviewed to include future foreshore and importance of future generations and environmental values, these are generation stewardship should be an important focus. prioritised.

Management objectives, actions, KPIs Objectives should be linked to Actions have been linked to objectives, linking actions, priority actions should be outcomes and a measures table in each theme identified, and actionable, section. measurable, and timely KPIs are needed.

Climate change A healthy, biodiverse habitat Using natural processes and managing the increases chances of climate foreshore reserves as natural areas is the change adaptation. This needs to primary climate change adaptation response be recognised identified in the CHAP. Improving structural and species diversity has been better described. The main source of erosion to Coastal creek and stormwater projects are now Burgess Creek is wastewater. This better described in the plan. should be emphasised. More coastal and erosion The Coastal Monitoring Plan is now better monitoring is needed and this described in the plan. Coastal monitoring data needs to be made publicly will be published on Council's website when available. available. There is no climate catastrophe on Climate change impacts have been better the Eastern Beaches. The dunes referenced. Past and current dune condition is are stable and healthy. also better described. The coastal hazard area and The erosion-prone area mapping methodology potential coastal erosion risks are was set by the State Government and will be overstated in the CHAP. updated periodically as new information becomes available.

Ecology Ecological problems and Environmental values and impacts have been environmental values are referenced with further information provided on overstated and inaccurate. source data. A new data collection and monitoring section has been added. Budget to implement Ecological Condition mapping, restoration targets, Restoration Plans is welcome - ecological restoration plans and on ground works focus needs to be on the ground have been better described. Budget has been restoration. provided in the 2023/24 budget to support implementation of the plan. Include fire management and risk Fire risk mitigation is included in the rehabilitation to life and property mitigation program and works and made explicit in the measures in rehabilitation of plan. cleared areas.

Social Values The importance of significant The critical social values described here are recreational, social, and visual recognised in the objectives of the draft plan and values should be explicitly Section 8. The importance of public access and recognised in the plan. recreation is discussed in Section 12. Kabi Kabi should be consulted with Council continues to build relationships and and heavily involved in the plan. collaborative partnerships with Kabi Kabi, and welcomes Kabi Kabi involvement in the ongoing implementation of the plan.

Partnerships The reference to the Community As part of the plan implementation, Council will Bushland Care Program is review existing partnerships in conjunction with inadequate. A new collaborative community partners to determine if these are partnership with Bushcare is meeting community expectations and need to be required. reframed.

Community education An ongoing, resourced, education The plan aims to reduce neighbour and visitor- and awareness campaign is related impacts observed in Bushland needed to improve understanding Operational Assessment condition mapping. of the importance of protecting Community education is planned as part of the dunes. plan's implementation.

Encroachments Encroachments are a Shire-wide A Shire-wide Encroachments Policy and issue and separate to the plan for Procedures have been developed and approved the Eastern Beaches. by Council to provide consistency and clarity for managing private encroachments into public reserve areas. Budget has been allocated in the 2023/24 budget to support an additional staff member and progress onground bushland recovery work on a shire-wide basis for Council's bushland areas. Concern about factual basis of The language regarding encroachments and concern about encroachments, impacts has been assessed and reviewed. and inflammatory language. Bushland Operational Assessment mapping and data from on ground audits informs Council’s approach to prioritising and managing It would be helpful to have some encroachments. information about what foreshore neighbours could do to maintain A ‘Be a Good Bushland Neighbour’ education and improve the health of the program is central to implementation of the reserves. Encroachments Policy.

Public access and recreation Management of the reserves as a Recreation, public access and beach access are natural area is not appropriate. The very important throughout the draft plan, and are reserves should be managed for highlighted in the second objective and Section recreation. 12, Public access and recreation. Universal access for those with Universal access is a priority in the design disabilities or mobility issues is standards and beach access review projects. important. Event-based universal access is being explored. There is a need to improve beach This is included in the beach access review and access and surf viewing points, design standards project. while protecting the dunes from access impacts.

Incidents and disaster management Bushfire and other urban risks are Fire risk mitigation measures are now explicitly not managed in the plan. stated in the plan. Community education about fire risk mitigation is included as an action in the plan. A fire management program is underway and funded within the Natural Areas team.

Coastal creeks and stormwater The plan does not recognise, The plan now better describes its position and manage, or fund remediation of role in managing the Eastern Beaches Foreshore current erosion and pollution of Reserves alongside other plans, programs, and erosion prone areas caused by activities and how they interact. This includes wastewater. Erosion at creek coastal erosion (CHAP) implementation projects, mouths is enabling ingress from Burgess Creek integrated catchment the sea and further erosion. management plan and the high risk erosion Burgess Creek needs more planning and design project. detailed management. Urban areas have been The plan does not deal with private land. This progressive hardened with some community feedback has been provided to 90% hard surface areas, larger Council's Strategic Planning branch for roof areas, paving on private land, consideration as part of future development roads etc all contributing to run off requirements. Other retrofitting options for and erosion risk. improved stormwater management has been discussed and referred to Council's Infrastructure Branch for further consideration as part of capital works planning. Better access to Unitywater data, Council coordinates a Shire-wide water quality external, transparent, independent monitoring program and has a data sharing water quality testing and public agreement with Unitywater for water quality data availability of test results and that they gather and monitor under their assessments. Environmental Authority obligations to the Department of Environment and Science for the Burgess Creek wastewater treatment plant. Council is also planning the development of a public dashboard for displaying water quality data for the Burgess Creek and other subcatchments within the Shire. All coastal creeks should be Environment Services have been working with resourced to restore riparian areas Unitywater, Council Infrastructure Services, and and improve water quality. community members to restore bushland and improve water quality in and along the coastal creeks, accommodating erosion issues where required.

Foreshore tenure and gazettal The purpose of the foreshore must Recreation and public access is strongly remain as recreation. Foreshores recognised as very important throughout the should be managed to include draft plan, in the second objective and Section barbeque areas, toilets, viewing

Public access and recreation. platforms and quiet seating areas. Concern that Council intends to The intent of the plan is not to ‘lock up’ reserves pursue national park status for the or change the way they are being used by the reserves and losing public access public for recreation. Council is not pursuing to beach or foreshore reserves. national park status for the beach reserves.

Dogs Generally support beach dog Council will to explore the review of dog exercise walking, but need to reduce its areas, community education and information social and environmental impacts. about dogs on beaches and dog-related enforcement and develop clearer, more prominent, and more attractive signage and Need to provide clear, concise, information about dogs, including for short-term enforceable information on dog on- accommodation visitors. leash and dog free beach areas.

Report details

Index: ECM/Subject/Environmental Management 21.51