Published on Thursday, 23 August 2018 at 2:11:13 PM
Over 50 days into the public comment period for the City’s Draft Coastal Adaptation Plan Report, community members have made more than 60 submissions regarding the development of the document and its recommendations.
City of Greater Geraldton CEO Ross McKim said many of the submissions indicated there is wide spread belief that once the Report is adopted by Council the recommendations made in the document will be the course of action Council will take to mitigate coastal erosion and inundation.
“The Draft Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP) is just that, a plan, and although it makes recommendations it doesn’t outline which specific actions Council might take when adapting to possible future coastal erosion or inundation,” he said.
“The next stage in the process set out by the WA State Planning Policy No. 2.6 State Coastal Planning Policy (SPP2.6) is the development of a Local Coastal Planning Policy which will determine what actions, if any, will be undertaken in each of the 12 identified coastal management units from Cape Burney to Drummond Cove.”
Over the coming months Council will examine the recommendations outlined in the CHRMAP to determine which ones best align with the SPP2.6. Draft State Government Managed Retreat Policy. Once these are determined, Council will then decide which actions will be taken now and in the future, if and when coastal assets become at risk to erosion and inundation.
Mr McKim said the Local Coastal Planning Policy would provide much needed certainty around mitigating the impacts of coastal erosion the City and community have been wanting for some time.
“Once the policy which meets all SPP2.6 requirements is in place, we will finally be able to get on the front foot of coastal erosion by taking action long before things start falling into the sea, ensuring what’s happened in the past doesn’t happen again.”
The City received grant funding from the Western Australia Planning Commission through the Coastal Management Plan Assistance Program to develop the Geraldton CHRMAP.
More information on CHRMAP here
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