Shoalhaven Coastal Management Programs

Council is seeking applications of a community member to join its Northern Area Coastal Management Program Advisory Committee.

The Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees consist of 3 separate committees:

• Northern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committee
• Central Coastal Management Program Advisory Committee
• Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committee

• the development and implementation of the coastal management programs
• providing input into known coastal event(s) and erosion behaviour
• facilitate broader community consultation and participation in coast and estuary management through informing and liaising with member community groups.

The northern area applies to the following coastal areas and estuaries:

• All Council managed beaches from Seven Mile/Berry Beach of the northern coastal boundary to the southern end of Warrain/Currarong Beach
• Shoalhaven River Estuary
• Broughton Creek
• Crookhaven River/Curleys Bay
• Lake Wollumboola
• Shoalhaven urban and rural estuaries.

The Committees will meet as required, normally during business hours, at the Nowra Administration Building or via online.

Submit an application by completing the membership form and return by post to The Chief Executive Officer, Shoalhaven City Council, PO Box 42 Nowra NSW 2541 or email it to council@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au.

Applications close Tuesday 14 February 2023.

On the 18, 19 and 20 October 2021, Council met with the three Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees (North, Central and Southern) to discuss the status of the current Coastal Management Programs and other relevant coastal projects.

Council would like to thank the committee members for their time and input to help build a positive and constructive environment and to ensure Council are informed of the perspectives and priorities of the broader community.

View the Agenda and Minutes on Council's website. Select the respective meeting from the drop-down option.

Shoalhaven City Council is preparing Coastal Management Programs that aim to protect and preserve the future of the Shoalhaven’s coastline and estuaries.

Take a look at the Coastal Management Program Brochure (CMP) published in the ‘Document Library’ outlining the process of developing a CMP.

Shoalhaven City Council has received more than $111,000 in funding from the NSW Government to undertake works to improve key coastal spots and combat erosion at Burrill Lake, Collingwood Beach and Shoalhaven Heads.

The NSW Government funding was awarded to Council as part of the 2020-21 Coastal and Estuary Grants Program.

The Coastal and Estuary grants awarded to Council include:

• Lions Park, Burrill Lake: $28,975 to fund moving sand from adjacent flood tide delta shoals to nourish the foreshore and manage erosion impacts to vegetation, at this popular recreational foreshore area.
• Collingwood Beach: $56,550 for restoration work of dunes, planting more diverse species with varying root systems to help stabilise the dunes.
• Shoalhaven Heads: $26,250 for dune management erosion control measures to protect this popular area while making it more amenable.

Council expects to commence these works in the 2021-22 financial year. Project planning is underway, including seeking approvals to undertake these critical works.

Council has Coastal Zone Management Plans in place to provide sustainable plans for our coastal areas and are essential for both legislative and community reasons.

For more information about Shoalhaven Coastal Management Plans visit Shoalhaven Coastal Management Programs Get Involved web page.

Stage one: Identify the scope of a CMP

The first step is to identify the scope of a CMP which results in a Scoping Study. The Scoping Study incorporates local priority management issues, reviews existing management plans, identifies information gaps, and identifies how consultation and engagement should take place during preparation of a CMP.

Once the Scoping Study has been certified, Council will engage a consultant to take on the actions required within Stages 2 – 4 via a Coast and Estuary Grant from the NSW State Government.

Stage two: Determine Risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities

This is a technical stage that requires gathering the background, further community consultation, a conceptual model, defining the coastal hazards within the area and modelling and mapping of the region and creating a risk assessment based on the hazard mapping models.

Stage 2 requires the studies identified in the Scoping Study to be undertaken.

Stage three: Identify and evaluate options.

This stage includes the confirmation of strategic direction, identifying and evaluating potential management actions, further community and stakeholder consultation and the development of a draft business plan.

Stage four: Prepare, exhibit, finalise, certify and adopt the CMP

This stage involves preparing a draft CMP for public exhibition, incorporating community feedback and finalising the CMP taking into account all submissions and recommendations and ensuring that all statutory and mandatory requirements have been met.

Stage five: Implement, monitor, evaluate and report

The final stage of the process includes implementing, monitoring and evaluating the works proposed within the CMP, along with reporting and liaising with stakeholders.

Shoalhaven City Council’s Environmental Services Department have made significant progress on the Coastal Management Programs (CMP) which will provide long-term strategies for the coordinated management of Shoalhaven’s coastal zones and waterways.

Council has successfully obtained five State Government grant applications from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) Coastal and Estuary Planning Grants Program, to help plan for and manage the health of our unique coasts and estuaries while improving the resilience of coastal communities.

Council also obtained a grant from the DPIE in 2019 to support the preparation of the Lake Conjola CMP, and at Council's 8 December 2020 Strategy and Assets Committee meeting, resolved to accept the Tender from Royal Haskoning DHV for the Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program. The project commenced in February and Council continues to work closely with the Southern Coastal Management Advisory Committee, state agencies, our local Aboriginal community and the Lake Conjola community as the project progresses.

In April 2021, Council successfully obtained funding under DPIE’s Coastal and Estuary Planning Grants Program funding of over $1.1million for our coastal areas.

Successful grants applications have been obtained for the Shoalhaven Coastal Management Program ($180,000), Jervis Bay Coastal Management Program ($120,000), St Georges Basin, Sussex Inlet, Swan Lake and Berrara Creek Coastal Management Program ($300,000), Lower Shoalhaven River Coastal Management Program ($326,666) and the South Mollymook Coastal Protection Design and Approvals ($210,000).

The grants will go towards the preparation of CMPs for each area with the exception of South Mollymook, with the funding going towards a detailed design and environmental assessments and approvals for the preferred seawall at the golf club and car park at the south end of Mollymook Beach.

Prior to the funding announcement, Council had begun drafting the project briefs for these CMPs based on Council’s Adopted CMP Scoping Study.

Council is required by state legislation to prepare a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for the estuaries and sections of the Shoalhaven’s 165km coastal zone. Shoalhaven City Council manages most of the region’s beaches, bays and headlands, and some of the lakes and estuaries, often in partnership with state government agencies.

A drop-in Information Session for the Lake Conjola CMP will be held on Monday, 19 April 2021 at the Lake Conjola Community Centre from 4pm to 7pm. This session is to update the community with an overview of progress on the preparation of the Lake Conjola CMP, as well as what they can expect as the program progresses over the next 12 months. 

Do you live, work, or play in Lake Conjola and surrounds?

If so, Council would like to invite you to a drop-in information session about the Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program (CMP) for the catchment area.

When: Monday, 19 April 2021

Where: Lake Conjola Community Centre

Drop-in time: Between 4:00pm – 7:00pm

For more information, subscribe to follow the project through 'Stay Informed' on this Get Involved Page.

The Coastal Team at Shoalhaven Council would like to provide an update on the status of the Coastal Management Programs (CMP).

Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program
In the Strategy and Assets Committee meeting on 8 December 2020, Council resolved to accept the Tender from Royal HaskoningDHV for the Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program (CSA20.18). Royal HaskoningDHV was notified of the success of their Tender and contracts were exchanged in February following contract negotiations. The project began in February and Council will be working closely with the Coastal Committees, as well as the Lake Conjola Community as the project progresses.

Other Coastal Management Programs

Shoalhaven City Council has applied for grants through the NSW Government Coastal and Estuary Grants Program to prepare CMPs for other coastlines and estuaries in the Shoalhaven LGA. Grants to prepare individual CMPs for the Shoalhaven Coastline and Jervis Bay, and St. Georges Basin, Sussex Inlet, Berrara Creek and Swan Lake have been submitted. In preparation for the funding, Council has begun drafting the project brief for these CMPs based on Council’s Adopted Scoping Study. These will be made available for review by your CMP Advisory Committees once drafted.

Further consultation will take place with the broader community and stakeholders once a contractor is awarded and the preparation of the CMPs commence.

Coastal Committee Meetings in March 2021

The CMP Advisory Committees met in person for the first time in March 2021. The North and Central Area CMP Advisory Committee met on 15 March 2021, and the Southern Area CMP Advisory Committee met on 17 March 2021. The committee meeting minutes are published on Council's Agenda and Minutes webpage.

The North, Central and South Coastal Management Advisory Committees have been formed, and will assist Shoalhaven City Council in the development and implementation of the Coastal Management Programs for their respective areas.

The first committee meeting was held on 30 November 2020, and was arranged as a combined meeting with all North, Central and South committee members. The meeting agenda and minutes for this meeting, as well as for all future meetings, can be accessed through Council's Agenda and Minutes webpage.