Cr Rob Turner says Port Macquarie-Hastings community should be consulted on whether it wants a tidal pool

A tidal pool will be built at Oxley Beach and was made possible with a $4.5 million Federal Government grant announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a visit to the region in 2019.

Cr Rob Turner told the March council meeting that a tidal pool is not a council project, and noted that no community consultation has occurred around site selection and potential impacts including environmental, heritage, public amenities, traffic and car-parking.

He successfully moved that council's chief executive officer advise council how residents can be engaged to ascertain a community view on the construction of a tidal pool at Oxley Beach.

A report will be provided to the April ordinary council meeting addressing this question.

Read more: Councillors vote in May 2018 to place on the record that a tidal pool is not a priority for council.

"It appears to me in this instance the cart has been put before the horse. Members of the comm have been asking me how they can have their say on the proposal or whether it is simply a fait accompli," Cr Turner said.

"The absence of any consultation on the Oxley Beach proposal should be compared with the extensive community consultation on the site selection and scope for the proposed Port Macquarie Aquatic Centre at Macquarie Park.

"Oxley Beach is land and water that belongs to the NSW Crown. In the past, the NSW government has consulted extensively on foreshore projects either through outsourcing this consultation to council, as occurred with plans for upgrading the Port Macquarie breakwall, or through its own channels as occurred with the EOI process for the proposed sale of the Plaza carpark in Short Street Port Macquarie.

"In both these cases, the community has extensive input which shaped the outcome. In the case of the breakwall, many insights were gained from the community which made the final plan significantly better.

"In the case of the Plaza carpark, the community consultation eventually meant that the sale didn't proceed due to the lack of alignment of the developer's vision with the community's values.

"In both cases, the community consultation was significant and an important part of the process.

"Noting that the proposed development on Oxley Beach is not a council project, the absence to date of any community consultation is something that could potentially cause unrealistic community expectations, thus posing a potential risk to council as the project progresses."

Read more: Project manager appointed to develop Port Macquarie tidal pool plan

Mayor Peta Pinson wanted to acknowledge the $50,000 in funding by the state government to Port Macquarie Tidal Pool Committee Incorporated and $4.5 million of committed funding by the federal government.

She further wanted it on record that two community petitions have been presented to council in excess of 18,000 signatures in support of the tidal pool.

"I think it's important to note that we've been hearing for a very long period of time there are people who are opposed and there are people who are for. That goes with everything really," Cr Pinson said.

"This project is not competing with the aquatic centre. It is a community-led project in consultation with the state government who is the rightful custodian of this particular piece of land.

"The tidal pool will quite possibly go further out into the ocean which then becomes a federal responsibility. It's not up to us to involve ourselves in these matters and it will be up to the Tidal Pool Committee Incorporated to do that consultation."

The mayor said she had met with the tidal pool committee and they have a "long way to go" before they present a DA for final approval.

Cr Turner acknowledged a large number of people had indeed signed a petition.

"Having said that there are 62,000 out there who do not want a tidal pool and who presumably don't support a development at Oxley Beach," he said.

"I think it's those people on whose behalf council needs to ensure there is some kind of community consultation so the entire community can have their say on this."

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