Flood works needed for Woy Woy

An official Gosford Council Study published in August 2011 Gosford Council stated that 4109 homes would be affected by a 1:100 coastal flood event by 2100.

Coastal Residents believe that this projection is closer to 3000 homes in the event of a 900mm rise in sea levels.

Proposals in the Gosford Council Study amount to the abandonment of Davistown, 50 per cent of Empire Bay and much of Booker Bay and Woy Woy including the CBD.

The exaggerated and alarmist claims of Gosford Council must be challenged as they have resulted in damage to the livelihood and wellbeing of many thousands of residents, many of whom are elderly retirees transitioning to dependent accommodation.

Gosford Council should provide proper flood mitigation works for Woy Woy that would facilitate the future defence of Woy Woy if sea levels rise.

Coastal Residents is also opposed to the construction of 800 home units over the most flood prone waters in the Gosford Local Government Area, Gosford Waterfront Harbour as a priority over the defence of existing homes.

We also reject the need to relocate Gosford Primary School as a consequence of the projected rise in sea levels claimed to threaten Gosford Public School.

This is also stated in the same Gosford Council Study published in August last year.

Gosford Council declared many areas of the Gosford LGA as flood prone after the coastal flood in 1974, a flood event that lasted six hours.

Since 1974 there is no evidence of any real attempt to mitigate future flood events despite the fact that Gosford Council invested over $100 million of our infrastructure funding in failed high risk overseas investments.

The Council has forced new homes to be built with floors 500mm above current projected flood levels and yet this has not prevented insurance companies from overcharging for flood insurance on these same homes.

Recently Gosford mayor Laurie Maher shouted out the need to raise rates to provide infrastructure funding for the Landing project on Gosford Waterfront.

The August 2011 Study by Gosford Council proposed $300 million in public funding to be invested in the Gosford Masterplan to raise the level of the land and infrastructure in those areas affected by coastal flooding.

Around 200 local residents have joined Coastal Residents and have supported a hard working action group that has a single purpose, to protect those residents from the exaggerated claims of sea level rise that have damaged their livelihood and wellbeing and to see proper planning put in place to defend those properties affected by these claims.

This is not an argument against climate change but an action to protect ourselves from alarmism that has resulted in discrimination, marginalisation and victimisation of about 10 per cent of our local population.

Current State Government Policy and Legislation has removed our rights to protect our properties from coastal flooding and coastal erosion and has declared "no compensation" for sea level rise.

Coastal Residents would like to see a full and comprehensive process of consultation with everyone having their say.

We have been promised such consultation by Gosford Council for more than two years and by the newly-elected State Government since it was elected but it has not been provided.

They blame each other and are the ones who have buried their heads in the sand.

Coastal Residents believes this issue can be resolved but Gosford Council and the NSW State Government now refuse to discuss this issue.

Online submission, 15 Jun 2012

Pat Aiken, Saratoga