Manly receives grant to implement ocean and harbour coastline management plans

Manly Council has received $225,000 in grant funding under the NSW Department of Natural Resources Coastline Management Program to put into effect separate long term Coastline Management Plans designed to ensure the "holistic and sustainable management" of both the aquatic and terrestrial features of Manly's coastal and estuary foreshore areas.

"Manly Council's Coastline Management Plans provide the long term strategic guidance Council needs to ensure the long term survival of our local aquatic and terrestrial environments," said Mayor of Manly, Dr Peter Macdonald.

The grant funding will be used to implement priority action outlines in the Manly Ocean Beach Coastline Management Plan ($150,000) and a number of harbour beach Coastline Management Plans ($75,000).

High priority actions identified for implementation in the Ocean Beach Coastline Management Plan include:

• a development application for emergency protection works, including design and Statement of Environmental Effects;
• a monitoring plan to measure beach sand dynamics;
• a study for the provision of disabled access to beaches;
• a feasibility study for offshore sand extraction for "beach nourishment", including assessing impacts on Manly Lagoon entrance and Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve;
• a study of the impacts of beach cleaning practices on aquatic fauna;
• the implementation of minor works.

The implementation of Manly Harbour Beaches Coastline Management Plans will include:

• development and implementation of a natural shoreline structure monitoring program including beach profile surveys along Little Manly, Manly Cove East, Manly Cove West and Fairlight Beaches to assess likelihood of future damage to existing seawalls based on the available sand volume of the beach, the predicted storm demand and the "toe level" of the seawall;
• assessing and mapping the impacts of sea level rise in Manly, using both conservative and extreme scenarios for 50-100 year time-frames;
• a geo-heritage survey of Manly's Harbour Foreshores;
• implementation of associated with the Little Manly and Forty Baskets Landscape Masterplans.

"Manly's Coastline Management Plans are prepared in response both to legislative requirements and in response to community direction in accordance with current best practice," said Macdonald.