Table 3 Cocos Crescent Reserve land tenure and zoning

Table 3 Cocos Crescent Reserve land tenure and zoning

Lot and DP Tenure Zoning

Property Name

248/801790 Council RE1 – Public Recreation Bangalow Place Reserve 48/793497 Council RE1 – Public Recreation Bangalow Place Reserve

2.4.4 Sensitive receptors

Residential dwellings are the main sensitive receptors to the Cocos Crescent Reserve camp. There are approximately 319 residential lots within a 300 m radius of the camp, including: • seven residential lots that directly adjoin the camp • 148 residential lots that are also within 300 m of the Karloos Crescent Reserve camp. To the immediate north-west of the camp there is also an aged care facility that is partly constructed. The site will include self-care villas, apartments and a 160 bed residential aged care facility. No other sensitive receptors are known to occur within 300 m of the Cocos Crescent Reserve camp.

2.4.5 Council assets and activities

Cocos Crescent Reserve functions as an urban drainage reserve. Council managed infrastructure within and directly adjacent to Cocos Crescent Reserve includes Cocos Crescent, sewer and water mains and managed drains (Figure 7). The vegetation within the reserve forms part of Council’s urban drainage management system by helping to absorb runoff from the surrounding catchment and contributing to flood management. Other Council management activities at the reserve include: • maintaining a 15 m APZ along the western, southern and eastern boundaries of the forested section of the reserve. • maintaining lawn/parkland areas in the northern part of the reserve. • bush regeneration works, with a focus on weed management. There are no formal walking tracks through the reserve, although informal access is possible around the perimeter via the APZs and mown area in the north. Other utilities adjacent to the camp include underground communications and electricity infrastructure.

Figure 10 Cocos Crescent Reserve land zoning and proximate residences

2.4.6 Community reported issues related to the camp

Council has received periodic complaints about the camp from surrounding residents since its establishment in 2018. Key reported issues include: • odour, particularly following wet conditions • noise as flying-foxes depart or return to the camp • noise from the camp during the day and seasonally during the night • faecal drop on houses and outdoor areas, roofs that have associated water tanks, cars and washing lines, and associated time spend cleaning areas adjacent to the camp • disease concerns to residents and pets • health and/or wellbeing impacts (e.g. associated with lack of sleep, anxiety) • lifestyle impacts as a result of reduced amenity/smell/disease concerns (e.g. house bound, inability to leave windows open • reduced general amenity • damage to vegetation • impacts on other native animals, particularly birds • pollution of waterways • property devaluation. Local residents report being impacted by noise and odour impacts, particularly when flyingfoxes are present at this reserve (even in low numbers), due to its small size and the proximity of adjacent residents. There are some reports that the APZ management has helped some residents, although odour impacts have not significantly improved. Other complaints were associated with stagnant water odour and drainage concerns, mosquitos and the overall condition of the site. Some residents suggested that the reserve was inadequately managed and should be managed as parkland with less trees and a mown grass understorey. Although these concerns are not directly associated with flying-foxes, the residents associated these concerns with flying-foxes and overall reduced amenity of the site. As for the Karloo Street Reserve camp, maintenance of infrastructure and features (e.g. APZs) has been identified as an issue for managers planning and implementing works at the reserve due to flying-fox interaction, approval and welfare considerations, as well as disturbance to flying-foxes from on-ground works. This has potential to exacerbate noise impacts to residents.

2.4.7 Management response to date

Council’s management responses implemented for the Cocos Street Reserve camp to date have included: • responding to community complaints and providing information on flying-foxes, legislative considerations and Council’s actions • seasonal flying-fox monitoring four times a year as part of the national flying-fox monitoring program to increase Council’s understand flying-fox use of the camp • additional flying-fox monitoring commencing in August 2019 in response to community concerns • weed management works, including removal of Camphor Laurel trees in 2019 • preparation of a draft flying-fox camp management plan for Karloo Street and Cocos

Crescent reserves (2015-19; prepared internally)

• APZ establishment (2019) and management with the dual benefit of improved bushfire protection and providing separation between roosting flying-foxes and residences.

2.5 Pacific Palms camp

2.5.1 Location and setting

The Pacific Palms camp is located at Elizabeth Beach, north of the Pacific Palms community centre and tennis courts (Figure 11). The camp is located on a larger area of Council land bound by Wallis Lake to the west, The Lakes Way to the north and east, and Pacific Palms Recreation Club to the south. Booti Booti National Park occurs north of The Lakes Way and residential land that forms part of Elizabeth Beach occurs to the east. A boat ramp and managed foreshore occurs west of the Pacific Palms Recreation Club. The flying-fox camp occurs in the north-eastern portion of the reserve. The maximum recorded extent of the camp covers an area of 0.6 ha, dominated by swamp sclerophyll forests. Vegetation mapping showing indicative DPIE BioNet PCTs at the camp are displayed in Figure 12 and include: • Swamp sclerophyll forests: o PCT 1235 Swamp Oak swamp forest of the coastal lowlands of the NSW North Coast Bioregion o PCT 1717 Broad-leaved Paperbark - Swamp Mahogany - Swamp Oak - Saw Sedge swamp forest of the Central Coast and Lower North Coast • Saline wetlands: o PCT 1747 Grey Mangrove low closed forest. The mapped PCTs comprise potential flying-fox roosting habitat and the total area of contiguous potential roosting habitat at the camp is 4.4 ha.