From your article on 6th March 2020 I think the community should realise a few facts and raise some questions with both Leslie Williams MP and POrt Macquarie-Hastings Council:
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The opening strategy for Lake Cathie is included as part of the Lake Cathie Estuary Management Plan.
On the 1st July 2018 the new Coastal Management Act 2016 came into effect. This new legislation ONLY provided transitional funding for certified Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMP). Estuary Management Plans were excluded from funding.
The $5 million for impact of bushfires on coastal waterways that Mrs Williams is referring to was only available after the bushfires, but council should take advantage of these grants when they become available - something they appear to have missed based on the article.
Prior to the new Coastal Management Act 2016, council have had no responsibility for lake/estuary areas west of Ocean Drive bridge. ONLY the stakeholders, Crown Lands, National Parks and Fisheries etc., can action any activity west of Ocean Drive bridge. However, under the new legislation council is required to complete a new Coastal Management Plan which encompasses not just the Coast and Lake Cathie Lagoon but the entire estuary and Lake system as well. Could this new funding be used to help fast track a new Coastal Management Plan?
On 27 November 2019, Council received confirmation from Crown Lands that as the environmental approval was more than five years old the short term licence (STL) could not be issued - the main issues are:
- the 1994 EMP is no longer considered relevant
- 1994 Opening Strategy is redundant
- the 1995 Environmental Approval is redundant.
Given the above what is the updated REF based on? The opening strategy is redundant according to Crown Lands.
Council have consistently referred to an updated REF including the GM at the 19 February Council meeting - What are they actually referring too?
The $1 million referred to in the article was initially raised in August 2019 and finalised at the October 2019 Council meeting. Despite appeals by Mayor Pinson and Councillor Grifiths to use unallocated Council reserve funds, the other Councillors led by Councillor Levido approved an initial $2.4 million to be borrowed by Council with an upper limit of $25m. $1 million of these funds was to be used for (from the minutes):
e) Carry out investigations and planning with respect to undertaking tidal improvements to that part of the Lake Innes and Lake Cathie Estuarine System from the Ocean Drive bridge in a westerly direction.
Was this funding secured and has any planning occurred?
Given the high volume of sand that is in the Lake Cathie Lagoon has Council initiated a dredging project for this?
Dredging the lagoon and beach nourishment are part of the Coastal Zone Management Plan which is still in effect until December 2021, unlike the opening strategy.
On 25th February 2020 I was advised, in writing, by Council that they had approved funding for an acid sulfate digestive model. This was option 1 of a series of recommendations in the Acid Sulfate report funded by NPWS and Council. It was completed in July 2019.
Council advised that they had approved 50% of the funding of this project $147.500 on 16th October 2019 but were still waiting on the State Government (DPIE Grants Unit) for approval. However included in the Council Minutes of 19th February 2020 is the grants register. The register showed that Council requested the funding from State Government on 19th November 2019, some 5 weeks after the initial approval by Council, and they approved it on 2nd December 2019.
Council appear to be in a shambles lurching from one crisis to the next and are completely reactive. Council are not requesting grants that they are eligible for, Council staff don't seem to know when grants have been approved and still have work on hold waiting on funding. Council are still telling the community they are working on an updated REF (Review of Environmental Factors).
As an interesting side note the Council approved a new Charter for the Coast, Estuary and Floodplain Advisory sub-committee in August 2019 Ordinary Council meeting.
In January 2020 the sub-committee has minuted a number of changes to this charter which has now changed it to a Working Group. Why has this been done?
There are no attachments included for the 20 February meeting just a summary agenda and minutes - Are council limiting information to the community by making this a working group?
The community has a lot of questions for Council and State Government but very few answers and no communication.
Stewart Cooper
Lake Cathie
