Shoalhaven Coastal Management Programs
Stretching over 165kms, the coast is one of the Shoalhaven’s greatest assets. Our community values the remarkable coastline for its environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits. However, the coast faces many challenges with the potential to impact how we enjoy living by the water. How we manage our coastline is crucial to current activities and in preparing for the future.
Why is Council Creating Coastal Management Programs?
Coastal Management Programs (CMPs) are required in accordance with the Coastal Management Act 2016 for our estuaries and coastline, to replace the pre-existing Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMP), developed under the now repealed Coastal Protection Act 1979, and Estuary Management Plans.
The CMPs will be developed and guided by the NSW State Government's Coastal Management Manual.
What is a Coastal Management Program (CMP)?
A CMP is a long-term strategy for managing the coastal regions in the face of future climate risks. A CMP provides the framework and strategy that will be used to manage our coastlines and estuaries.
The CMPs will consider:
- Historic events
- Current conditions
- Future trends including population growth, environmental conditions, and climate change
CMPs identify coastal management issues, and the actions required to address these issues in a strategic and integrated way. It will also detail how and when those actions will be implemented, the cost, and funding mechanisms.
CMPs are developed in accordance with the Coastal Management Program Legislation and guided by the NSW State Government's Coastal Management Manual.
Through five stages of development, each CMP will work to determine risks and vulnerabilities associated with coastal hazards, identifying opportunities and options to mitigate these risks through management actions. The CMP will outline how and when each management action will be implemented, the associated costs, and potential funding mechanisms. Stages 1-4 develop and build the business plan in close consultation with the community and state government agency stakeholders. Stage 5 focusses on the implementation of the management actions over a 10-year timeframe.
What are the stages of developing a CMP?
CMPs are broken down into five stages that are designed to:
- Address coastal hazard risks
- Preserve habitats and cultural uses
- Encourage sustainable agricultural, economic and built development in the coastal zone
- Maintain or improve recreational amenity and resilience
- Adapt to emerging issues such as population growth and climate change
View the Five Stages of a CMP newsfeed below to see the details for each stage.
How many CMP’s is Council preparing?
The coastal landscape of Shoalhaven LGA is a valuable natural, social, and economic asset for the community and visitors alike. Council manages 40 of the 109 beaches and 11 of the 15 lakes and estuaries.
The Stage 1 CMP Citywide Scoping Study identified the priority areas and groupings for development of Council’s CMPs based on the risks, complexities, level of development of coastal management, as well as community and stakeholder feedback. This would allow Council to break the CMPs into smaller compartments to address the need for site specific management actions and priorities in each area.
The recommended priority and groupings for development of the Coastal Management Programs is below:
- Lake Conjola (high priority)
- Shoalhaven Open Coast (high priority)
- Jervis Bay (high priority)
- Sussex Inlet, Swan Lake and Berrara Creek (high priority)
- St. Georges Basin (high priority)
- Lower Shoalhaven River (high priority)
- Lake Wollumboola (medium priority)
- Burrill Lake, Lake Tabourie and Willinga Lake (medium priority)
- Currambene Creek and Moona Moona Creek (medium priority)
- Shoalhaven Urban and Rural Estuaries (lower priority)
Council is working collaboratively to develop these important programs for each community and has so far received CMP funding for Lake Conjola, Open Coast and Jervis Bay, Sussex Inlet, St. Georges Basin, Berrara Creek and Swan Lake and the Lower Shoalhaven River.
CMPs will be developed with the guidance and input from our Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees.
The Shoalhaven Open Coast and Jervis Bay CMP was successfully completed and adopted by Council at the Ordinary Meeting of 6 May 2024. Following this, the CMP was certified by the Minister in August 2024 and then gazetted under the Coastal Management Act 2016 on 20 September 2024. The Shoalhaven Open Coast and Jervis Bay CMP covers a study area that includes beaches located along the 165 km of coastline managed by Council - from Shoalhaven Heads in the north, to North Durras in the south.
How to get involved?
We encourage you to participate in the development of the CMPs by subscribing to this Get Involved pages via the 'Stay Informed' function on this page.
For more information visit the NSW State Government website.
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Coastal Management Program Update
Share Coastal Management Program Update on Facebook Share Coastal Management Program Update on Twitter Share Coastal Management Program Update on Linkedin Email Coastal Management Program Update linkThe Coastal Team at Shoalhaven Council would like to provide an update on the status of the Coastal Management Programs (CMP).
Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program
In the Strategy and Assets Committee meeting on 8 December 2020, Council resolved to accept the Tender from Royal HaskoningDHV for the Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program (CSA20.18). Royal HaskoningDHV was notified of the success of their Tender and contracts were exchanged in February following contract negotiations. The project began in February and Council will be working closely with the Coastal Committees, as well as the Lake Conjola Community as the project progresses.Other Coastal Management Programs
Shoalhaven City Council has applied for grants through the NSW Government Coastal and Estuary Grants Program to prepare CMPs for other coastlines and estuaries in the Shoalhaven LGA. Grants to prepare individual CMPs for the Shoalhaven Coastline and Jervis Bay, and St. Georges Basin, Sussex Inlet, Berrara Creek and Swan Lake have been submitted. In preparation for the funding, Council has begun drafting the project brief for these CMPs based on Council’s Adopted Scoping Study. These will be made available for review by your CMP Advisory Committees once drafted.
Further consultation will take place with the broader community and stakeholders once a contractor is awarded and the preparation of the CMPs commence.
Coastal Committee Meetings in March 2021
The CMP Advisory Committees met in person for the first time in March 2021. The North and Central Area CMP Advisory Committee met on 15 March 2021, and the Southern Area CMP Advisory Committee met on 17 March 2021. The committee meeting minutes are published on Council's Agenda and Minutes webpage.
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First Committee Meeting Held
Share First Committee Meeting Held on Facebook Share First Committee Meeting Held on Twitter Share First Committee Meeting Held on Linkedin Email First Committee Meeting Held linkThe North, Central and South Coastal Management Advisory Committees have been formed, and will assist Shoalhaven City Council in the development and implementation of the Coastal Management Programs for their respective areas.
The first committee meeting was held on 30 November 2020, and was arranged as a combined meeting with all North, Central and South committee members. The meeting agenda and minutes for this meeting, as well as for all future meetings, can be accessed through Council's Agenda and Minutes webpage.
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Amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Coastal Management Advisory Committees
Share Amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Coastal Management Advisory Committees on Facebook Share Amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Coastal Management Advisory Committees on Twitter Share Amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Coastal Management Advisory Committees on Linkedin Email Amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Coastal Management Advisory Committees linkAmendments to the Terms of Reference for the Coastal Management Advisory Committees were recommended and accepted in the Development and Environment Committee meeting held on 6 October 2020, MIN20.736.
Amendments reflect the inclusion of Aboriginal Representatives in the Committee Membership section, and one (1) Youth and one (1) local representative for the Aboriginal community in the Local Representatives sections.
View the Terms of Reference online or in the Document Library on this page.
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Applications Extended - Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees
Share Applications Extended - Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees on Facebook Share Applications Extended - Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees on Twitter Share Applications Extended - Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees on Linkedin Email Applications Extended - Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees linkApplications to join one of the three Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees in the Northern, Central and Southern areas of the Shoalhaven has been extended to 2 September 2020. These advisory committees will contribute to the development and implementation of coastal management plans, and will meet on an as-needs basis.
To nominate please complete the application form, in the Documents Folder on this web page by close of business on Wednesday 2 September 2020.
Nominations will be assessed based on knowledge and the person’s ability to disseminate information to their local community.
For further information please call Nigel Smith, Coastal Coordinator, on 02 4429 5501 or at nigel.smith@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au.
If you are interested in participating in how Council manages Coastal Management across the city, and would like to assist in the development of Council’s Coastal Management Plans, please refer to the Terms of Reference - North/Central/Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees, on the Coastal Management Plan Get Involved web page. We would like to hear from you.
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Application for Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees
Share Application for Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees on Facebook Share Application for Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees on Twitter Share Application for Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees on Linkedin Email Application for Members of Shoalhaven City Council’s Northern, Central, and Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees linkCouncil is establishing three Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees in the Northern, Central and Southern areas of the Shoalhaven. These advisory committees will contribute to the development and implementation of coastal management plans, and will meet on an as-needs basis.
To nominate please complete the application form, in the Documents Folder on this web page by close of business on Friday 21 August 2020.
Nominations will be assessed based on knowledge and the person’s ability to disseminate information to their local community.
For further information please call Nigel Smith, Coastal Coordinator, on 02 4429 5501 or at nigel.smith@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au.
If you are interested in participating in how Council manages Coastal Management across the city, and would like to assist in the development of Council’s Coastal Management Plans, please refer to the Terms of Reference - North/Central/Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees, on the Coastal Management Plan Get Involved web page. We would like to hear from you.
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Scoping Study
Share Scoping Study on Facebook Share Scoping Study on Twitter Share Scoping Study on Linkedin Email Scoping Study linkSeptember 2019
A city-wide Scoping Study is currently being prepared. This is the first stage in preparation of the CMP.
The main aims of the Scoping Study are to:
- review progress made in managing issues in coastal areas
- develop a shared understanding of the current situation
- identify information gaps
- identify the focus of the new CMP.
For further information and update, visit the CMP Scoping Study Get Involved Web page.
Videos
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Coastal Management Program Video
Document Library
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Coastal Management Programs - Development Process
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Terms of Reference - North/Central/Southern Coastal Management Program Advisory Committees
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Final Coastal Management Program Scoping Study
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Stakeholder and Community Engagement Strategy - May 2020
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Shoalhaven CMP Scoping Study Advisian Report 2019
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Appendix A - Legislative Context
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Appendix B - Detailed Environmental and Physical Context
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Appendix C - Agency Stakeholder Consultation Materials
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Appendix D - RPS Consultation Outcomes Report
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Appendix E - Council Scoping Study Questionnaire
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Appendix G - First Pass Risk Assessment
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Appendix H - Relevant Existing Information
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Appendix I - Public Exhibition Outcomes
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Who's listening
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Phone 1300 293 111 Email coastal.management@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au