Coastal Zone Management Plan

The coast is important for most Australians. About one quarter of the population of Wyong Shire lives along the narrow and fragile corridor east of Tuggerah Lakes.

The coastline attracts thousands of visitors from other parts of Wyong Shire, neighbouring areas and further afield. The Central Coast has been a favourite recreation and holiday destination for people from Sydney for generations. The number of people living in or visiting the Central Coast is ever growing.  High recreational usage and urban growth places significant pressure on sensitive coastal landscapes. Storm wave erosion of beaches and dunes, and landslip on cliffs or bluffs has the potential to threaten safety and spoil the enjoyment of the coast. This highlights the importance of community participation in the preparation and implementation of the Coastal Zone Management Plan.

The recently adopted ‘Coastal Zone Management Plan for the Wyong Coastline’ (the Plan) was developed in accordance with State Government Legislation which includes the NSW coastal protection Act (1979), the NSW Coastal Policy (1997), the NSW Guidelines for Coastal Zone Management Plans (DECCW 2010), the NSW Guideline for Preparing Emergency Action Sub-plans (OEH 2011) and the NSW Coastal Planning Guide – Adapting to Sea Level Rise (Department of Planning 2009) as well as The Local Government Act (1994). The Plan helps council and the community understand:

  • Which coastal locations warrant conservation
  • The dynamic, ever-changing nature of our coast
  • The different options available for managing coastal erosion risks   
  • What’s needed to provide safe access and recreation spaces for locals and visitors   
  • Where special protection should be provided for protection of infrastructure like surf clubs
  • What emergency procedures are needed for major storms
  • How to minimise the impacts of development, such as weed infestations, litter and decreased water quality from land clearing, car parks and other activities.    
  • The costs of balancing what the community wants for the coast, and where State and Local Government should spend money.

Almost half of Wyong Shire's coastline is dominated by long sandy beaches like Birdie Beach and Tuggerah Beach. There are also numerous small bays, high sandstone or sand cliffs and rocky bluffs that add diversity.

The Plan deals with the management of the immediate coastal fringe. For Wyong Shire this includes:

  • The first street parallel to the ocean or the extent of the 100 year coastal hazard planning zone (which ever is greater) for urban areas and public reserves
  • Fore dunes and hind dunes, and; 
  • Unstable coastal areas such as cliffs and bluffs

Most houses along Wyong Shire’s coast are situated around smaller bay beaches and bluffs, such as Blue Bay, Toowoon Bay, Noraville and The Entrance. These are the main focus of the current project, together with development on the dunes behind some sections of long sandy beaches. Near these core, coastal urban areas, interaction with natural coastal process driven by wind, rain, waves and tides can affect the environmental quality of the coastline. This can include stormwater catchments, and other urban areas from which local people would visit the beaches, headlands and rock platforms. Land managed by National Parks and Wildlife Service (now part of the Office of Environment and Heritage) is also part of the context area.

How does climate change affect the Coastal Zone Management Plan?

The impacts of climate change have been considered in the development of The Plan, as well as in the technical studies that advise the plan. Some of the ways climate change may impact coastal management include:

  • Minimum and maximum temperatures may rise
  • Changes to rainfall patterns
  • Sea level rise of at least 0.4 meters by 2050 and 0.9 meters by 2100 from 1990 levels (Office of Environment and Heritage)
  • Potential for  increase in the frequency and severity of weather patterns responsible for extreme storm events
  • Higher probability of east coast low formation.

Rising sea levels combined with higher frequency of storms may alter sediment transport regimes along beaches and encourage coastal recession of beaches and wave attack and erosion of coastal cliffs and bluffs. This erosion may affect several coastal properties within the Wyong Shire and a range of coastal infrastructure such as stormwater outlets, roads and surf clubs.

The Coastal Hazard Assessment looks at the severity of erosion along the Wyong Shire coastline immediately and over the 2050 and 2100 year planning periods, taking into account sea level rise, storm surge and wave run up. The Hazard Assessment, with the Coastline Management Study, has lead to recommendations for sustainable management of Wyong Shire’s coastline in the Draft Coastal Zone Management Plan.