Adapting Marks Point and Belmont South

This consultation has concluded. 

• Celebrating the City’s first Local Adaptation Plan

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  The communities of Marks Point and Belmont South came together with Councillors Barney Langford, Jason Pauling and Laurie Coughlan, and Council staff to celebrate the successful adoption of Lake Macquarie’s first Local Adaptation Plan.

  The plan to minimise flood risks now and in the future was prepared with a great deal of community involvement.

  Council’s Senior Sustainability Officer, Greg Giles, said it was great to see everyone who contributed to preparing this ground-breaking Plan, come together and celebrate all their efforts and achievements.

  “We have come a long way since first starting this project back in 2013 and it is important to acknowledge all the hard work of everyone involved, especially the community volunteers,” Mr Giles said.

  “Together we have been able to identify a long-term plan and short-term actions that will allow people to continue to live and build in these areas, as sea and lake levels continue to rise.”

  Fittingly, Greg baked a special sea level rise cake for the occasion.

  A workshop was held prior to the celebrations kicking off to highlight some of the actions already underway.

  “We hope that the community will continue to be involved in this project by working with Council to implement the actions identified in the Plan,” Mr Giles said.

  With the Marks Point and Belmont South Local Adaptation Plan now underway, Council is working with the communities of Pelican and Blacksmiths, to develop a Local Adaptation Plan to address their future flood and coastal risks.

  
  
  

• City’s first Local Adaption Plan adopted by Council

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  Lake Macquarie City Council has tonight adopted a Local Adaptation Plan for Marks Point and Belmont South, which will allow people to continue to live and build in these areas, as sea and lake levels continue to rise.

  Over the past two years, Council has worked with local residents, landowners, utility providers, local business, and the staff of the Office of Environment and Heritage to develop one of the first Local Adaptation Plans in Australia.

  Council’s Manager Integrated Planning, Sharon Pope, said the plan identifies a set of achievable and cost-effective actions to be taken over the next ten years to prepare for and respond to increased levels of flooding and gradual Lake level rise.

  “These actions lay the foundation for a strategy on hazard management, land use planning and asset planning to the end of the century,” Ms Pope said.

  Actions identified in the Plan include constructing revetments to protect the foreshore from erosion, filling land progressively to maintain ground levels above the Lake, raising and improving the design of infrastructure, constructing floors of new buildings above projected flood levels and raising old homes above projected flood levels.

  The collaborative process undertaken in preparation of this Plan is now being used to assist the communities of Pelican and Blacksmiths address future flood and coastal risks.

  “We have learnt a lot from working with the community on this plan, and expect to start similar projects in the next few years for other low-lying areas around the Lake including Pelican, Blacksmiths, Swansea and Dora Creek,” Ms Pope said.

  “We are in the first stage of preparing a Local Adaptation Plan for Pelican and Blacksmiths.

  “Residents are encouraged to attend a question and answer session with Council staff and independent experts in coastal processes and flood risk management on Thursday evening, to learn about the effect of sea level rise on our coast and the Lake.”

  Learn more information about the upcoming Q&A event or register your interest by visiting http://haveyoursaylakemac.com.au/futurepelicanblacksmiths or calling Council on 4921 0333.

• Site tour - New foreshore protection works at Emily Street, Marks Point

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  Residents met with Council staff in December on the site of the newly constructed foreshore revetment works at the end of Emily Street in Village Bay, Marks Point, to talk about the experimental design. The works address significant erosion that has occurred in recent years.
  
  

  Why is this project so special?

  The unique design protects the foreshore against major storm events whilst still allowing stormwater runoff from large downpours to flow into the Lake. To inform the design, Council sought ideas from the community. Residents wanted to address erosion but also maintain access to the Lake. In response, the works provide a balance between protection and access.

  Importantly, the design accommodates a projected future 0.4 metre rise in lake levels and allows for gradual filling of land behind the revetment when houses are renewed, to maintain ground levels above the Lake. This aligns with the draft Marks Point and Belmont South Local Adaptation Plan prepared in close collaboration with the community, which provides certainty about future development in the area.

  Do you have a photo of the new foreshore works? Share it with us and we'll upload to our online album!

  Feedback from the onsite talk

  Residents were generally positive about Council’s commitment to protect properties from current and future foreshore erosion and liked the overall attempt to provide a ‘natural’ design with the discontinuous wall broken by planted beds and turfed walkways.

  Some people expressed concerns about the bulk and height of the works, noting this could affect pedestrian access along narrower parts of the foreshore as part of future works. The large rocks were seen to prevent access to the water and made it hard to hand-launch small craft. Staff advised the design did include some access points, that are already being used and that future works will provide direct ‘sloping’ access to the Lake but limited to a few locations. With too many gaps in the revetment, protecting against erosion would be ineffective.

  Residents suggested Council prepare a complete detailed design for parts of the foreshore in Marks Point affected by erosion, so Council and landowners know what is required and how much it is likely to cost. A detailed design would provide landowners with a guideline if they want to lodge a development application for protection works in front of their properties.
  

  Residents noted people may be tempted to throw smaller cobblestones and rocks into the Lake and suggested installing a sign highlighting the community and environmental benefits of the project. Residents also supported the use of a ‘QR code’ (square barcode) which people can scan on their smartphone and learn more about the project. Council will investigate both signage options.
  

  

  Photos courtesy of Neville
  
  

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• Councillors support collaborative approach to adapting to sea level and flooding in Marks Point and Belmont South

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  The draft plan to help the communities of Marks Point and Belmont South adapt to future sea level rise and flood risks will soon begin a 60-day period of public exhibition, after receiving unanimous support at Lake Macquarie City Council at last night’s meeting.

  Council’s Manager Integrated Planning, Sharon Pope, said the thorough process was designed to give the local communities of Marks Point and Belmont South a great deal of involvement in the development of plans to minimise flood risks now and in the future.

  “The decision by Councillors to publicly exhibit Lake Macquarie City’s first local adaptation plan, which outlines actions to help manage the risk of current and future flooding and tidal inundation, is a positive step forward after five years of planning and 18 months of extensive collaboration between Council and local residents,” Ms Pope said.

  “The elected Council commended Council staff and the community who together have come a long way since Council adopted the Lake Macquarie Flood Plan in 2012, which recommended developing area-specific adaptation plans to address flood and sea level rise risks.

  “The process to develop the draft Marks Point and Belmont South Local Adaptation Plan saw the community work closely with Council to narrow down a number of options to a list of key actions that met very specific criteria including maintaining the lifestyle of local residents and cost effectiveness.”

  Speaking in support of placing the draft plan on public exhibition at Monday night’s meeting, Councillor Barney Langford praised Council staff for closely involving the community in the development of the draft plan.

  “It needs to be noted that this strategy has been developed not by Council, but by the community,” Cr Langford said.

  “Through the formation of a Community Working Group, the community took ownership of the problem and by owning the problem, the community was then able to own the solutions – that is the genius of this strategy.”

  
  
  

• Why plan for future flood risks?

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  Under NSW planning law local government is responsible for managing local flood risks. In 2012, Council adopted the Lake Macquarie Flood Risk Management Study and Plan that identifies areas at risk of flooding and recommends development of local adaptation plans to address future flood risks.

  
  Council is currently piloting the adaptation planning process in the Marks Point and Belmont South area, which will guide future decisions, such as how we design and maintain roads and drainage systems, how to make buildings safe and durable, and how we manage erosion and maintain a healthy lake.

  For an overview of the adaptation planning process for Marks Point and Belmont South, see here.

  

• Sub-committee’s draft strategy gets the thumbs up from working group

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  After several months of hard work, the sub-committee set up to assess and screen options for managing current and future flood risks, reported back to the wider Community Working Group on Thursday night.

  Following a presentation from two sub-committee members, the working group were enthusiastic about the principles the sub-committee has identified for an Adaptation Plan.  The Community working group and Council’s Manager of Integrated Planning felt an important milestone had been reached.

  “Collaborating with the sub-committee and members of the working group has proven to be really beneficial. We have a deeper understanding of the problems and solutions for Marks Point and Belmont South, and progress has been quicker due to the efforts of the sub-committee who have met on nine occasions,” Sharon said.

  The draft strategy includes constructing seawalls to protect foreshore land from tidal inundation and erosion; filling land to maintain ground levels above the lake and water table; raising and improving the design of infrastructure such as drains and roads to match land filling; constructing new building with floor levels above projected flood levels; and, if necessary in the future, raising older homes above projected flood levels.  The timing of management options is based upon lake levels. As lake levels gradually rise, different management actions will be triggered.

  Feedback from the working group indicated they were pleased with the collaborative approach taken in developing the draft strategy, described by the group as “clear and simple” and based on “logical trigger points”.

  The Sub-Committee will meet again to finalise the list of management options that complement the adaptation strategy presented on Thursday night. A community newsletter will update the wider community on the progress made since early 2014.

  Further community consultation will occur in early 2015 before the draft Local Adaptation Plan is prepared and exhibited. The exhibition period will provide an opportunity for all residents and ratepayers in the local government area to have their say.

  
  

• Sub-committee put flood management options through first screening

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  The flood management options being considered for the Marks Point and Belmont South Local Adaptation Plan were assessed against some basic performance criteria at the second meeting of the Planning for Future Flood Risks sub-committee last Thursday evening.

  The criteria came from community concerns, and are: ‘will it work’; ‘will it cause unnecessary or irreversible damage to the environment’: ‘will it allow residents and visitors to continue to enjoy the benefits of living near the lake’; and ‘will the benefits clearly outweigh the costs’.

  Manager Integrated Planning Sharon Pope said that she was pleased the group was making progress by narrowing down the list of management options that will work in the study area.

  “The work that the sub-committee have put their hands up to do is very complex and assessment of options requires consideration of many sources of information. Narrowing down the options that should be given more detailed consideration is a big step forward for the sub-committee,” Sharon said.

  “We started this meeting with thirty-nine management options developed from community input. After reviewing these options based on the first four criteria, we have significantly reduce the number of options that we can continue to screen and investigate,” Sharon concluded.

  Options that met the basic criteria include protecting properties by building foreshore levees and sea walls. Options that did not meet the basic
  criteria, such as ‘will it work’, was a weir across the entrance, for example.

  As well as an initial screening of options, the sub-committee discussed the cost of some options and who will pay that cost, and stormwater issues within the catchment. The wording Council uses to describe how flooding will change as sea level rise occurs was discussed.Council staff gave a commitment to review the use of the terms low and high flood hazard to current and future flood hazards where possible. Council will report their findings back to the sub-committee.

  Members of the subcommittee and other residents are planning a field trip around Marks Point and Belmont South later in the month to better understand how the proposed management options may work in the local area. The sub-committee will also continue to consider the options in more detail at future meetings, where they will look more closely at when and where options might be triggered.

   

• Sub-committee forms to deal with future flood planning

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  The second meeting of the Community Working Group was held last Thursday evening with participants deciding to form a sub-committee to work with Council staff to assess options for mitigating flood risk and drainage problems in the Marks Point and Belmont South area.

  Council’s Manager Integrated Planning, Sharon Pope, said that the sub-committee will help speed
  up this phase of the project, where pros and cons of almost 40 management options need to be considered.

  “I am pleased to see that we have a number of passionate community members that have a wealth of experience they are willing and able to share with Council as we try and tackle what is both a sensitive and complex issue like planning for ongoing drainage problems and increases in future flooding,” Sharon said

  “We have residents engineering and building experience who will be working closely with us, and they will be able to report back to the wider working group about the progress they make in filtering and screening management options.”

  Participants also raised concerns about recent media reports on development controls in flood prone areas.  Council staff were able to share information with the group and assure participants that there were no new conditions or general freeze on development.

  “We acknowledge that there are concerns about the effect of controls on the ability to subdivide some blocks, and the effect this might have on property values. These issues will be assessed further as part of developing the Local Adaptation Plan in this collaborative way,” Sharon said.

  The first meeting of the sub-committee is likely to be held in early July, with the next Community Working Group meeting identified for late July.

  
  If you are interested in becoming a member of the Community Working Group, call 4921 0333 or email [email protected]

   

  Updated Adaptation Planning Process

  

  

   

   

   

• First meeting of Community Working Group held in Belmont

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  A Community Working Group that will explore options for managing flood risks in Marks Point and Belmont South met
  for the first time last night.

  Council’s Manager Integrated Planning, Sharon Pope, said last night’s positive session was the first of at least four meetings for the working group.

  “It was great to see this group take another step in the process of developing a draft adaptation plan for their area.”

  The group, consisting of 24 residents from the Marks Point Belmont South community, worked  together on a number of workshop activities where they took a closer look at the project’s draft objectives and criteria.

  
  “Council used feedback collated from previous workshops, community meetings and online surveys to develop the draft objectives and criteria,” Sharon said.

  “The group were then asked to test these draft objectives and criteria by applying them to one of the management options suggested by their community,” Sharon said.

  
  “Trialling the objectives and criteria shows us we are generally on the right track so this means we can move forward when we meet again next month to focus more on the management options designed to reduce flood risk.”

  The group will meet again on 19 June. If you are interested in becoming a member of the group, call 4921 0333 or email [email protected].

  
  
  
  

• Outcomes from the first Community Working Group

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  Before discussing the draft project objectives and criteria, members of the Community Working Group were asked to take a moment and discuss their aspirations for the project, and whether they had any concerns about their role in working with Council to develop a local adaptation plan.  The results are collated and shown below.