E
FRE
May 7, 2012
Your independent local newspaper
-
Ph: 4325 7369
Issue 32
Coastal residents protest o a s t a l Residents Incorporated held a sea level rally on Friday, April 27, at Gosford City Park to protest against the encoding of S149 (5) planning certificates.
C
Coastal Residents Incorporated secretary Mr Pat Aiken said the group invited Gosford councillors to attend the rally and explain why they had agreed to the persecution of a small group of people whose properties were affected by Gosford Council’s forecasts for sea level rise. “The encoding of S149 (5) Planning Certificates with information that is blatantly exaggerated, in our opinion, demonstrates that you [Gosford councillors] have not acted in good faith and that you have not demonstrated a duty of care to those residents affected by your decision to support the recommendation of Council officers,” said Mr Aiken. “This decision exposes Gosford Council to future litigation and has already damaged the livelihood and wellbeing of thousands of Gosford City residents,” he said. Mr Aiken went on to say that Council continued
The sea level rise rally in Gosford
to claim that it would offer information sessions and public forums so the community could have their say, but after two years, there had been none. “The water of Gosford Harbour is known to be the benchmark for the current 1:100 flood planning levels for all of Brisbane Water and yet Gosford Council has laid out proposals that amount to abandonment of Davistown, Empire Bay and Woy Woy as a consequence of Sea Level Rise projections and at cost to those property
owners. “But the mayor then announced a need to raise public funds through a rate increase to support a commercial project that would be constructed on equally adversely affected land,” said Mr Aiken. Gosford Council has claimed that over 9000 properties were potentially affected by Sea Level Rise, but according to Mr Aiken, the projections were based on exaggerated claims of the CSIRO. “The sea level rise
records from Fort Denison, Newcastle and Port Kembla do not agree with the recent claims by the CSIRO that NSW waters indicate an average sea level rise of 5mm average per year from 1993 until 2011. “This is a blatant exaggeration of facts. “The Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australian Sea Level Survey 2009 states that average Australian Sea Level over an average of 42 years is 1.4mm-year with a standard deviation of 0.7mm-year.
Photos: ValsPix
“The same survey states that Fort Denison, Newcastle and Port Kembla have averaged less than 1mm sea level rise for periods up to 100 years. “Manly Hydraulics Laboratory, a NSW State Government agency, manages 21 tide gauges including five open ocean gauges and including Fort Denison which provides high quality long term sea level data to government agencies around the world. “The CSIRO has ignored this information and instead
published a document that indicates an average 5mm sea level rise for NSW Coastal Waters from 1993 until 2007 while Fort Denison indicates 0.4mm per year for the same period. “An exaggeration of over 1000 per cent. “Gosford Council appeared to support Tanya Plibersek and Deborah O’Neill who cornered a group of retirees, threatened them with coastal flooding of their properties unless a carbon tax was put in place and then walked away. “Gosford Council has also walked away. “Gosford Council will not engage in the consultation that was promised and our mayor, in an ABC local broadcast, has labelled those who oppose the decision of Gosford Council as sceptics. “We are sceptical. “We are sceptical of the claims made by Gosford Council that 9000 properties are affected and apparently being so concerned, Council still continues to retain information on planning certificates knowing how damaging this information has become,” he said. Media Release, 6 Apr 2012 Pat Aiken, Coastal Residents Incorporated
Council to seek advice on sea level rises osford Council has resolved to write to the Minister for the Central Coast, NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency to request a consistent approach to sea level rise mapping and property certificate messaging to relevant land owners across the eastern seaboard of NSW.
G
Council will also seek advice on the implications should it withdraw the section 149 certificate message pertaining to sea level rise until the NSW State Government provides direction for a consistent approach and message. It will also continue to assist community members in dealing with insurance companies where they have received significantly increased insurance premiums due to flood risk and will write to the State Government requesting they make representations
to the Insurance Council of Australia to ensure individual insurance companies determine their premiums in an appropriate manner and so avoid unjustifiable increases in annual premiums. Coastal Residents Incorporated president Mr Len Gibbon spoke to Council at its meeting of Tuesday, May 1, and said the s149 (5) planning certificate was “invalid”. He said Council was acting outside of their authority and was “guilty of destroying whole
communities”. “We call it irresponsible vandalism,” he said. Gosford mayor Cr Laurie Maher said he thought insurance companies were abusing the policy. Council developed sea level rise vulnerability mapping and, as part of developing these maps, used its discretion to share that information with current and future owners via a s149 (5) message. The message stated that the land had been identified as being potentially affected by sea level rise of up to
0.9m by the year 2100 as adopted by Council at its meeting held on December 1, 2009. It went on to say that: “Council’s adopted sea level rise planning level of 0.9m is consistent with the NSW State Government’s Sea Level Rise Policy Statement.” “All applications to develop the land need to consider sea level rise but as council does not currently have relevant strategic plans with respect to management of sea level rise for the area, no specific sea level rise development controls apply to this land. “Council is currently undertaking a program of studies that may affect future development on the land.”
The NSW Sea Level Rise Policy was released in October 2009 and provided sea level rise planning benchmarks to assist council in risk assessment and planning. In August 2010 the “NSW Coastal Planning Guideline: Adapting to Sea Level Rise” was released by the State Government establishing planning principles to be applied by local government without clear direction or legislative backing. The process also lacked any form of communication strategy or community consultation from the State Government. Council’s report of Tuesday, May 1, stated that it had attempted to seek clarification and clearer direction on various issues
that surrounded sea level rise encoding, however, the State Government to date has failed to provide any clear and consistent direction for Councils on the NSW coast. “NSW coastal communities are confused and angry at the differences of planning and communication strategies being undertaken by Councils. “This frustration can only be resolved by direction from the State Government as to specifically when and what messages should be placed on s149 certificates to ensure consistency across all Councils.” Gosford Council Agenda NM.7, 1 May 2012