What is a Coastal Management Program?

    A Coastal Management Program (CMP) sets the long-term strategy for the coordinated management of the coast, with a focus on achieving the objectives of the Coastal Management Act 2016.

    The CMP will identify coastal management issues and actions for the Wollongong open coast, balancing priorities for environmental, cultural, recreational and commercial values, along with adaptation to emerging issues such as sea-level rise and a changing population.

    The CMP will detail how and when those actions are to be implemented, their costs, how they will be funded and by whom.

    The preparation of the CMP must be prepared in accordance with the NSW government framework that includes meeting the obligations under NSW Coastal Management Act 2016 and the five stages outlined in the NSW Coastal Management Manual. 

    The framework also specifies the roles and responsibilities for relevant Ministers, the NSW Coastal Council, public authorities and local councils, as well as providing opportunities for communities to participate when preparing and implementing a CMP. 

    Why is the CMP important?

    Our coastline is a sensitive natural environment that is exposed to natural coastal processes, population growth and diverse coastal uses, which create complex challenges. Council and other stakeholders are responsible for planning for and managing these challenges. The CMP aims to provide a coordinated and balanced approach to the management of the coast and coastal assets to ensure safety and sustainability both now and into the future.

    How is a CMP developed?

    The preparation of the Wollongong Open Coast Coastal Management Program involves five stages:

    • Stage 1: Identify the scope of the CMP
    • Stage 2: Determine risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities
    • Stage 3: Identify and evaluate options
    • Stage 4: Prepare, exhibit, finalise, certify, and adopt the CMP
    • Stage 5: Implement, monitor, evaluate and report

    We are currently in Stage Two, undertaking studies to determine risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities.

    What is a Scoping Study?

    Stage one is the scoping phase of the five-stage CMP process. The primary objective of the scoping study is to understand what our community values about our coast and current and future issues in coastal areas. This will help us develop a shared understanding of the current state of the coastal zone, identify issues and areas of focus of the new CMP.

    We prepared the Scoping Study following a period of community and stakeholder consultation and the collation of relevant data.

    What area is covered by the Scoping Study?

    The CMP will encompass the length of the coast and estuaries from Garie Beach at the northern Local Government Area boundary to the entrance of Lake Illawarra at the southern boundary. The coastline comprises a total of 27 beaches, mostly separated by headlands, rock platforms and cliffs.

    The coastal zone around Lake Illawarra is presently managed under the Lake Illawarra CMP and is excluded from the study area. Similarly, the Port of Port Kembla is excluded as it is managed under a separate legislative framework. The Scoping Study contains more details and maps.

    What Stage 2 projects are underway?

    Coastal Hazards Studies for Wollongong Coast

    This project will document coastal and estuary processes and identify and map the following coastal hazards, for the timeframes of immediate, 20+, 50+ and 100+ years:

    • Coastal cliff and slope instability
    • Coastal entrance instability
    • Estuary foreshore erosion
    • Inundation (tidal and coastal)
    • Beach erosion and recession

    The project will also include a coastal hazards risk assessment with stakeholders, to identify priority risks to be addressed in the CMP. This project involves both desktop and on-site study of hazards in the field. 

    Identification and Vulnerability Assessment of Aboriginal Cultural Values and Assets

    This study will apply a community-led placed-based approach and archaeological/cultural value surveys to identify both tangible and intangible cultural values along the coastline, determined by Traditional Owners, custodians and knowledge holders. 

    A cultural values vulnerability assessment will also be undertaken, utilising the outcomes of the coastal hazards assessments to determine risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities relevant to Aboriginal cultural values. 

    With this understanding, the Aboriginal community will develop culturally appropriate, site-based management and mitigation strategies to protect at-risk assets from further or future degradation. This project prioritises community empowerment through ensuring self-determination in culture and Country planning and management, fostering a deeper connection to ancestral lands, fulfilling cultural caring for Country responsibilities and ensuring the long-term sustainability of conservation efforts.

     

    What fieldwork is being undertaken as part of the Coastal Hazards Project?

    Council contractors will be out in the field to capture vital information about our coastline. This includes flying a drone along the coast and estuaries to look at coastal processes and erosion and inundation hot spots.

    There will also be geophysical and geotechnical investigations to fill in some data gaps about underlying geology behind the beaches. The work has been planned to use the least invasive methods possible and Council has undertaken environment impact assessment of these works. 

    The following methods are being used:

    • Multi-Channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) – This technique will be used to evaluate underground conditions along the beach and / or dune. It involves a rigging setup of geophone receivers connected by wire and deployed from the tray of a vehicle. The geophones detect and measure seismic energy waves that are created by a nearby impact source, in this instance a sledgehammer hitting a metal plate. 


    • Boreholes - the MASW investigation will be supplemented by geotechnical boreholes. A single 10cm to 15cm diameter borehole will be drilled strategically into the ground above each beach using a truck or rubber track mounted rig. The borehole will be drilled until it reaches either the top of the rock or a specified depth, whichever comes first.


    How can I participate?

    Engagement for the Stage 1 Scoping Study has now closed. There will be further opportunities for participation in the CMP project in Stage 2-5.

    Who is managing the project?

    Wollongong Council is the lead organisation in preparing the CMP, and is working with relevant agencies who have a role in management of the coast.

    The project is being supported with $625,000 from the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Management Program.

    Is Lake Illawarra in the CMP process?

    Lake Illawarra will not be part of this CMP for the coastal zone of the Wollongong LGA. Wollongong Council has already developed a CMP for Lake Illawarra in partnership with Shellharbour City Council and the NSW Government. The CMP was completed in 2020 and is a strategic program that will guide us in taking care of the lake over the next 5 to 10 years. 

    https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/about/environment/coast-and-waterways/lake-illawarra(External link)

    How does this project relate to the Wollongong Coastal Zone Management Plan and/or Wollongong Dune Management Strategy?

    In 2010, Council completed a Coastal Zone Study that identified the coastal processes and hazards potentially impacting the coastline and mapped the extent of land potentially impacted for the current year (2010) and the 2050 and 2100 timeframes. These hazards include beach erosion and shoreline recession, inundation of back beach areas, and geotechnical instability.

    In 2012, Council used these mapped hazard areas in a risk assessment process to prepare a Coastal Zone Management Plan. This Plan was a strategic framework for co-ordinated, integrated and ecologically sustainable management of the coast affected by the coastal hazards, and the protection of coastal environments into the future. The Plan was certified by the NSW Government in 2017.

    The Study and Plan were prepared under the NSW Coastal Protection Act 1979, which has been repealed and replaced with the Coastal Management Act 2016.  Under this new Act, Coastal Management Programs take the place of Coastal Zone Management Plans. Transitional arrangements in the legislation allowed any existing certified Plan to be recognised until December 2023.

    A key issue identified in the Coastal Zone Management Plan was management of dunes, including excessive dune heights and scarping, and the role of dune vegetation in these issues. The Dune Management Strategy for the Patrolled Swimming Areas of 17 Beaches was prepared in 2013 to address beach amenity, degradation of sight lines for lifeguards and lifesavers, and access issues raised by the community, while considering biodiversity values and the role of dunes in coastal processes. The range of management options in the Strategy have now been implemented. 

    The CMP for the open coast of Wollongong LGA will replace these previous documents which can be found at https://wollongong.nsw.gov.au/about/environment/coast-and-waterways(External link).