Coastal guidelines have 'no statutory power'
New Coastal Design Guidelines to protect and enhance the state's waterways, coast, and estuaries are unlikely to protect the NSW Coast, according to town planning PhD candidate Mr Mark Ellis of Woy Woy.
"While heading in the right direction, these are an example of guidelines which have no statutory power," he said.
He said the Government announcement was right that the guidelines "can help" if the council wanted to go in that direction.
However, he did not believe local Members of State Parliament nor Central Coast Council wanted to do so.
In the announcement, a Department of Planning executive director, Ms Danijela Karac, said: "The guidelines include a new coastal management framework, and provide up-to-date support for best practice coastal planning, including place-based urban planning, planning for natural hazards.
"The guidelines provide expert advice for councils, developers and other stakeholders to make sure the NSW coast remains a spectacular natural resource and place of cultural significance for generations to come.
"The updates will help to improve strategic decision-making and environmental outcomes in our coastal places, which impacts most of our population and visitor economy in NSW.
"They will help better inform important decisions by councils, developers and anyone involved in designing coastal places.
"The guidelines can help with decisions on requests for changes to planning rules in coastal communities, appropriate design for urban areas in coastal places, and managing growing coastal communities."
Mr Ellis said: "The Marine Estate, which is also part of the coastal management framework, also has guidelines which pursue protection of beaches and coastal environments and is based on a threat and risk assessment which states climate change and development as two key impacts."
SOURCE:
Media release, 10 Nov 2023
Danijela Karac, DPE