Shellharbour beach patrolled
Shellharbour North beach
Shelharbour Beach
Warilla beach

Councils are now required to prepare a Coastal Management Program (CMP) under the Coastal Management Act 2016, transitioning away from the existing Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). This Act is all about the unified management of the coast across New South Wales (NSW) aiming to keep our coast ecologically sustainable so the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of NSW is maintained.

The CMP covers the entire Shellharbour coastline from Windang island to the southernmost end of Shellharbour South beach. This includes but is not restricted to the following beaches and waterways:

  • Warilla Beach
  • Shellharbour North Beach
  • Elliot Lake
  • Nuns Beach
  • Shellharbour Boat Harbour and Shell Cove Boat Harbour
  • Shellharbour South Beach

Bass Point, Minnamurra Beach (Mystics) and Killalea are under NSW Government ownership, however, the CMP will provide comment on the management of these areas also.

This project is being supported with funding from the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Grant Program.

CMP Stages

A CMP is prepared in five stages and we recently completed Stage 1: Identify the scope of a coastal management program. As a part of the first stage, Council engaged with stakeholders to understand and gain insight into the context of current coastal management arrangements and key coastal issues. This information assisted in the preparation of the scoping study which will guide future stages of CMP development. The Scoping Study was adopted at the Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday, 27 June 2023.

Planning for Stage 2: Determine risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities has commenced. This stage becomes the foundation for the plan with more research, consultation, conceptual models, and defining the coastal hazards within the area.

Stage 1 identify and scope of CMP. Stage 2 Determine risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities, stage 3 identify and evaluate options. Stage 4 Prepare, exhibit, finalise, certify and adopt CMP. Stage 5 Implement, monitor, evaluate and report.
Take a look at the timeline for more details on each stage of the CMP development.

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FAQ's

A CMP is a long-term strategy for managing coastal regions. A CMP considers current coastal conditions, as well as historic and potential future events related to population growth, climate change and the environment. CMP’s 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.

Council has completed stage 1 of the CMP which is now available on our website. The Scoping Study was adopted at the Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday, 27 June 2023.

A CMP is prepared in five stages to develop the first stage, we engaged with stakeholders to understand and gain insight into the context of current coastal management arrangements and key coastal issues.

Planning for Stage 2: Determine risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities has commenced. This stage becomes the foundation for the plan with more research, consultation, conceptual models, and defining the coastal hazards within the area.

Coastal management programs (CMPs) set the long-term strategy for the coordinated management of the coast, with a focus on achieving the objectives of the Coastal Management Act 2016 (CM Act).

CMPs identify coastal management issues and the actions required to address these issues in a strategic and integrated way.

CMPs detail how and when those actions are to be implemented, their costs, how they will be funded and by whom.

The CM Act (and other relevant legislation) establishes specific roles and responsibilities for relevant Ministers, the NSW Coastal Council, public authorities and local councils, as well as providing opportunities for communities to participate when preparing and implementing a CMP.

Council is currently using the Coastal Zone Management Plan 2018 to provide direction for management of the open coast (excluding estuaries).

In 2018, the NSW Coastal Management Act 2016 commenced. Under this new Act coastal councils are required to prepare Coastal Management Programs to replace the old coastal zone management plans and estuary management plans.