TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO - nsw …nsw-coastal-explorer.domorewithmaps.com/documents... · Tweed Shire Council I I I II I I I I I II II I., DRAFT TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL

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Tweed Shire Council

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DRAFT

TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO.8

- DEVELOPMENT OF LAND LIABLE TO COASTAL EROSION

FOR ENQUIRIESPLEASE CONTACT: Mark Herringe.

PLEASE QUOTE / /COUNCIL REF. No.: MH:SR GT 1 DCP 8

~ lVVEED SHIRE COUNCIL

CIVIC AND CULTURAL CENTRE

MURWILLUMBAH

P.O. BOX 818, MURWILLUMBAH. N.S.W. 2484TELEPHONE: 1066172 0400

FAX: (066) 72 4598

80 001 008 25/61~

720~59TELEPHONEDIRECT 1(66)

YOUR REF. No.:

28 July, 1987.

The District Engineer,Public Works Department,PO Box 22,LISMORE. 2480.

Attention: Mr. Ian Taylor.

Dear Sir,

Development Control Plan No. 8 - Development of Land Liable to CoastalErosion.

I refer to previous correspondence concerning the implementation of a Development Control Plan to formalise development standards/boundaries for theCoastal Zone as it applies to Tweed Shire.

I wish to advise that the above matter was considered by Council at a SpecialTown Planning Meeting held on 22 July, 1987, whereupon it was resolved thatthe Draft Development Control Plan No. 8 "Development of Land Liable toCoastal Erosion" <Copy enclosed), be forwarded to your Department for yourcomment and appraisal.

The Development Control Plan contains -

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2.

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5.

a brief introduction explaining the aims and objectives of the plan;

a general explanation of the coastal system as it applies to Tweed Shire;

specific information (as it relates to coastal processes) for each locality,as the incidence of coastal recession varies along the Tweed Coastaccording to land and beach topography;

the type of management strategies that could be undertaken to helpalleviate the effects of coastal recession; and

development controls which: :·iake into account the specific informationconcerning each locality, the type of management strategies preferred, theexisting developments, and the financial capability of Council to implementCoastal Recession Management Strategies.

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.. 2.

As you will appreciate, the Development Control Plan outlines many of theaspects noted in your Department's reports on the Tweed Shire Coastline.Also, the Development Control Plan by itself will not alleviate the problemsassociated with coastal -recession. However, it does ensure that parameters areset with regard to boundary locations, type of recession management strategiesadopted and Council's financial capacity - issues imperative for the developmentof a very specific Coastal Management Strategy for the development/preservationof the coastal environment (eg. location of fencing, boardwalks, amount of sandnourishment required, dune rehabilitation programmes, amenity buildings, carparkings, parks and gardens etc.).

With regard to the Coastal Management Strategy (which would be similar instyle, although more detailed to that undertaken in Warringah Shire), Councilresolved that "the Chief Town Planner prepare, in consultation with the PublicWorks Department, a breif for the development of a Coastal ManagementStrategy for co-ordinating management of public and private beach front land.This strategy in addition to identifying land under threat of coastal processesand the attendant coastal recession management options should provide a basisfor future 'detailed' planning and development of the coastal regions with thelong term aim of reducing the hazard to private and public coastal assets andenhancing the amenity of, and public access to, the beaches, headlands andadjacent coastal areas."

Therefore, it would be greatly appreciated if your Department could commenton the Draft Development Control Plan as soon as possible, and prepare a draftbrief for the Coastal Management Strategy which would be discussed betweenyour Department's officers and Council's Engineering and Planning staff.

If any further information is required, please do not hesitate to contact theabovementioned officer, who will be happy to assist.

Yours faithfully,

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P. BORDERCHIEF TOWN PLANNER.

Encl•

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PAGE NO.

TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO.8

DEVELOPMENT OF LAND LIABLE TO COASTAL EROSION

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Soft WorksHard WorksSacrificial Borrow Areas

2.6.2.12.6.2.22.6.2.3

2.2.1 Description2.2.2 Coastal Evolution

2.2.2.1 Historical Evolution2.2.2.2 Recent Influences

INTRODUCTION

THE COASTAL EROSION/RECESSION STRATEGY

IntroductionThe Coastal System of the Tweed Shire

2.4.1 Short Term Fluctuations Resulting from a Single Storm 112.4.2 Barrier Cut Resulting from Grouping of Storm Events 112.4.3 Wind Induced Movement of Sand 112.4.4 Inundation from Ocean Overwash into Low Lying Coastal Areas 112.4.5 Scouring of the Inlets &Estuaries During Times of High

Water Flow 11

Beach Erosion &Coastal Recession: A Definitional NoteThe Coastal Hazards

Name of PlanLand to which Plan AppliesRelationship to Environmental Planning InstrumentsPurpose of PlanStatus of PlanApplication of PlanDefinitionsAcknowledgements

Coastal Erosion/Recession Management Techniques

2.6.1 Allow Recession to Proceed2.6.2 Provision of Protective Works

Coastal Impact Zones

2.5.1 Short Term Storm Demand2.5.2 Wind Losses2.5.3 Escarpment Stability2.5.4 Requirements for a Stable Vegetation Cover2.5.5 Inundation from the Ocean2.5.6 Summary

2.32.4

PART 1

1.11.21.31.41.51.61.71.8

PART 2

2.12.2

2.5

2.6

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I2.7 The Coastal Erosion/Recession Strategy 16

PART 3 COASTAL COMPARTMENTS: COASTAL PROCESSES, EROSION/RECESSIONMANAGEMENT STRATEGIES &DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS

I 3.1 Introduction 173.2 Flagstaff Beach 17

I 3.2.1 Coastal Processes 173.2.2 Management Strategies 173.2.3 Development Controls 18

I 3.3 Letitia Spit 20


I 3.4 Fi nga1 Beach 23

3.4.1 Coastal Processes 23

I 3.4.2 Management Strategies 233.4.3 Development Controls 24

I 3.5 Dreamtime Beach 27


I3.5.2 Management Strategies 273.5.3 Development Controls 32

3.6 Bogangar Beach 41

I 3.6.1 Coastal Processes 413.6.2 Management Strategies 42

I3.6.3 Development Controls 46

3.7 Norries Head-Hastings Point Beach 52


I 3.8 Cudgera Beach 57

'I 3.8.1 Coastal Processes 573.8.2 Management Strategies 573.8.3 Development Controls 60

I 3.9 Mooball-Wooyung Beach 63


I 3.9.2 Management Strategies 633.9.3 Development Controls 64

IPART 4 MISCELLANEOUS 69

PART 5 REFERENCES 70

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INDEX OF FIGURES

1. Location Map2. Coastal System3. Barrier Profiles4. Coastal Movements5. Coastal Impact Zones6. Estimated Foreshore Recession Rates: Dreamtime Beach7. Movement of the Beach Escarpment: Dreamtime Beach8. Bogangar Beach Recession Rates 1962-19769. Bogangar Beach Quantified Conceptual Model of Sand10. Analysis of Beach Recession Rates 1947-1977 (Cudgera Beach)

INDEX OF TABLES

Table 1 Cost of Beach Protection Works for the Existing VillagesTable 2 Linear Recession Rates: Bogangar Village

INDEX OF TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLANS

8(a)(I) Flagstaff Beach8(b)(I) Letitia Spit8(c)(I) Fingal Beach8(c)(2) Fingal Caravan Park &Surf Life Saving Club8(d)(I) Dreamtime Beach (Wommin Bay)8(d)(2) Dreamtime Beach (Murphys Road North)8(d)(3) Dreamtime Beach (Kingscliff)8(d)(4) Kingscliff Beach Foreshore Sheet 18(d)(5) Kingscliff Beach Foreshore Sheet 28(d)(6) Kingscliff Beach Foreshore Sheet 38(d)(7) Kingscliff Beach Foreshore Sheet 48(e)(I) Bogangar Beach Sheet 18(e)(2) Bogangar Beach Sheet 28(e)(3) Bogangar Beach Sheet 38(e)(4) Bogangar Beach Sheet 48(e)(5) Bogangar.Beach (Cabarita Beach)8(f)(I) Norries Head-Hastings Point Beach8(f)(2) Norries Head-Hastings Point Beach (Hastings Point)8(g)(I) Cudgera Beach8(g)(2) Cudgera Beach (Pottsville) Sheet 18(h)(I) Mooball-Wooyung Beach Sheet 18(h)(2) Mooball-Wooyung Beach Sheet 28(h)(3) Mooball-Wooyung Beach Sheet 38(h)(4) Mooball-Wooyung Beach Sheet 4

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1.1 Name of Pl an

1. INTRODUCTION

1.5 Status of Plan

planningplanninga Statea Local

Th is plan has been prepared in. accordance wi th Sect ion 72 of the Env i ronmenta1Planning and Assessment Act, 1979, and attendant regulations.

e. to provide gUidel ines for determination of the merits of developments within"coastal erosion land" as required by Section 90{I)(g) of the EnvironmentalPlanning and Assessment Act, 1979, (as amended).

DRAFT

TWEED SHIRE COUNCIL

DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. 8

DEVELOPMENT OF LAND LIABLE TO COASTAL EROSION

c. to make provisions for the orderly and economic development of "Coastal ErosionLand";

1.4 Purpose of Plan

The purposes of this plan are -

a. to present Council's Coastal Erosion/Recession Management Strategy;

b. to set detailed standards for land development in order to minimise the adverseeffect of coastal erosion on both the individual and the community;

Where an incons i stency ari ses between thi s plan and any envi ronmenta1instrument applyi ng to the same 1and, the provi si on of the envi ronmenta1instrument prevails. An environmental planning instrument meansEnvironmental Planning Policy, a Regional Environmental Plan orEnvironmental Plan.

d. to ensure that development is carri ed out in such a manner whi ch does notadversely effect coastal processes or iS'adversely affected by coastal erosion;and

i. :Interim Development Order No. 2- Shire of Tweed,

ii. Tweed Local Environmental Plan Nos. 1 to 44,

which are the principal planning instruments governing development in the Shire.

1;3 Relationship to Environmental Planning Instruments

This plan contains development standards and other provisions in respect of "CoastalErosion Land" in Tweed Shire and relates to -

1.2 Land to which this Plan applies

This plan applies to all "Coastal Erosion Land" as defined within the Shire ofTweed.

This plan may be cited as "Tweed Shire Development Control Plan No. B - Developmentof Land Liable to Coastal Erosion".


This plan came into force on xxxxxxxxxxxx in accordance with Clause 24(2) of theEnvironmental Planning and Assessment Regulation, 1980. '

This.plan may only be amended in the manner prescribed by the Environmental Planningand Assessment Act Regulations, 1980.

1.6 Application of Plan

Where a development is proposed in respect of land to which this plan applies,Council shall take the provisions of this plan into consideration in determining theapplication.

Compliance with the provisions of this plan does not necessarily imply that Councilwill grant consent to an application. Council must, in relation to developmentappl ications, al so take into consideration those matt,ers 1isted under Section 90(1)of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979.

1.7 Definitions

In this Plan, except insofar as the content or subject matter indicates orrequires:-

"Average Annual Recession Rate" - a linear figure derived by measuring the landwardmovement of the Back Beach Erosion Escarpment divided by the number ofi nterveni ngyears between measurements.

"Beach Barrier" - a system of sediment deposits extending above sea level whichseparate the ocean from the hinterland, rivers, estuaries etc.

"Back Beach Erosion Escarpment" - a near vertical step formed by erosion at the backof a beach which indicates the landward extent of wave attack during 'recent severestorm events.

"Berm" - the section of the beach profile between the top of the wave zone and thetoe of the Back Beach Erosion Escarpment.

"Building" - means any structure and includes the rebuilding of, the making ofstructural alterations tOi····and the enlargement or extension of, a 'building and theplacing or relocating of a bUilding within Coastal Erosion Land.

"Coastal Erosion" - means the depletion of the beach system by natural forces, suchas the reduction of a beach by waves and/or wind.

"Coastal Recessi on" - means the permanent 1andward movement of the Back BeachErosion Escarpment.

"Coastal Erosion Land" - means those areas within the Shire of Tweed as shown edgedheavy black on the maps marked 'Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(a)(1t to No.8(h)(4)' inclusive.

"Coastal Management Strategy" - means a report for the co-ordinated management ofpublic and private beach front land which inlcudes an assessment of the managementoptions available to halt coastal recession and provides detailed management plansfor each embayment with the long term aim of reducing the hazard to private andpubl ic coastal assets and enhancing the amenity of, and publ ic access to, thebeaches, headlands and adjacent coastal areas.

"Coastal Process" - the active forcing functions (waves, winds, currents, tides,etc.) and their interaction with and effects on the coastal environment (sediments,beach and headland erosion etc.).

"Development" - in relation to Coastal Erosion Land, means -

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"Sand Borrow Area" - ~eans a site, from an area not active in coastal processes,where sand can be obtained for nourishment of the dunal system.

"Sediment Budget" - means a quantification of all sand inflow and outflow to a giVendefined region or embayment. For a stable beach, the average sum of inflow andoutflow is balanced.

1.8 Acknowledgements

This plan was prepared on the basis of information provided by the Coastal Branch ofthe New South Wales Public Works Department, whose reports are cited in Section 5.

- are the beach changes associated with theerosion and accretion normally .present when a

"Short Term Beach Fluctuations"onshore/offshore sand transport,severe storm occurs.

but does not incl ude any development or act i vity wh ich is in accordance withCouncil's Coastal Management Strategy.

"Immediate Impact Line" - is an area approximately 50 metres landward of the BackBeach Erosion Escarpment which would accommodate short term beach fluctuations andprovide a minimum area for a maintained vegetated dune.

"50 Year Impact Li ne" - is an area 1andward of the immed i ate impact 1i ne, itsdistance being 50 times the average annual recession rate.

"100 Year Impact Line" - is an area landward of the immediate impact line, itsdistance being 100 times the average annual recession rate.

"Low Water Mark" - means that lowest tide which occurs at or near the time of a newor fu 11 moon.

a. ·the ·erection or removal of- a building;b. the carrying out of a work;c. a change of the purpose for wh ich any part of Coastal Eros ion Land or any

building or work within such part is used;d. the subdivision of land; ande. the clearing of vegetation including marine vegetation,


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2.1 Introduction

2. THE COASTAL EROSION/RECESSION STRATEGY

Tweed Shi re is located in the north' eastern corner of New South Wales with a 37kilometre long coastline extending from the Queensland Border (Pt. Danger) to justsouth of Wooyung (See Figure 1).


events if offset byHowever, permanent

or storms occur over

4,6643,386

9471,194

317605

of the Shire's coastal strip resides in six (6) villages or centres,Heads, with a population of 4,664 is the largest. The population ofas at 30 June, 1986, is as follows -

The dramatic shorel ine erosion associated with these severebeach recovery during extended periods of calmer weather.coastal recession may result, especially when several cyclonesa short period of time.

Many beaches along the far north coast have been receding for thousands of years.However, it is on1y since the mi d 1950' s when beach front development began inearnest, that attent ion became focused on the eros ion probl ems of th i s regi on.Erosion has become a matter of concern in areas such as Byron Bay, Sheltering Palms,New Brighton, Kingscliff, Kirra, Palm Beach and Surfer's Paradise where public andprivate assets have been threatened or lost to erosion.

In contrast to the Gold Coast, where there is almost continuous widespread coastalstrip development subject to threat from coastal processes, the Tweed Shire has beenrelatively fortunate as its villages occupy only some 18% of the coastline.However, wi th a growi ng demand for both permanent and ho1iday accommodat ion, theexisting village areas are' experiencing re-developmerit and pressure for furtherbeachfront subdi vi sion.' It is therefore essent i a1 that future development of thebeachfront take into account coastal processes operating in the area.

The populationof wh i ch Tweedthese centres,

In the short term, it is expected that the annual average growth rate will be in theregion of approximately three (3) percent per annum.

In addition to the Residen't Population, during the peak summertime holiday period(January), the population in the coastal region is substantially increased, and isreflected in the large number of motels, caravan parks and holiday units. Thus,tourism is a major part of the local economy, and the Tweed Coastline is the Shire'smajor tourist attraction/destination.

Cyclones and severe winter storms punctuate the otherwise mild, subtropical climate.December to April is the cyclone season, which peaks in February. The most severewinter storms usually occur in May/June. There have been some ninety five majorstorm events since 1890. However, their overall pattern is highly variable. In1967 for instance, there were thirteen storms, five of which were major events. Onthe other hand, there has been very little storm activity in the region since 1976.

It is generally recognised that cyclones cause more damage than winter storms; notonly do they occur much more often but they also give rise to strong winds, intenserainfall, flooding and heavy seas. Beach erosion can take place at a rapid rateduring and immediately after the passage of a cyclone.

Tweed Heads.KingscliffFi nga1BogangarHastings PointPottsvi 11 e

FIGURE 1

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in the contextduring miningIt should be

would have had

2.2 The Coastal System of the Tweed Shire

2.2.1 DescriptionTweed Shire's 37 km. long coastline comprises long sandy beaches separated by rockheadlands which control its coastal alignment. The beaches extend over 96% of thecoastline. The 'remaining 4% is taken up by the rock headlands (3%), the Tweed Riverentrance and the three minor estuary entrances of Cudgen Creek, Cudgera Creek andMooball Creek.

The beach is often perceived to be solely the sand area between the waterline andthe dunes including the beach berm, where sand binding grasses may exist on emergingforedune formations. The overall beach system, however, extends from some 1.5 km.offshore, in water depths of about 25-30 metres, to the back beach sand barrier(Figure 2). When examining the coastal processes of a beach system itis necessaryto consider this wider definition.

2.2.2 Coastal Evolution

2.2.2.1 Historical EvolutionThe coastal zone of Tweed Shire is the product of a geological history spanningmillions of years. The Holocene barriers (what is regarded as Todays Beaches andDunes) stopped growing about 2,000 years ago and since that time, a northerlyre-distribution of sand along the coast has occurred. This net northerly movementof sand (called 'Littoral Drift') is caused by the slant of the coastline to thepredominantly east to south easterly wave approach directions. This situationcauses sand to mov~ into the Shire's coastal system along the beach at the southernboundary near Wooyung. The sand moves ina cont i nuous northward 1ittora1 dri ftsystem along the Shire's coastline at a rate which increases in a northerly

. direction as the changing coastal alignment becomes more oblique to the dominantsouth easterly wave approach directions.

The difference in the rates of sand moving into and out of the· Shire gives rise to ademand for sand from the Shi re' s beach system. For example, the 1i ttora1 dri ftsystem gains an appreciable volume of sand between Wooyung (180,000 m3 per year) andthe Tweed River entrance (480,000 m3 per year). Therefore, approximately, 300,000m3 of beach erosion occurs between Wooyung and the Tweed River breakwaters onaverage per year. This additional demand is-met during storms by sand being removedfrom the beach barriers, that is, the back beach barriers erode to make up thedeficit in the alongshore drift rates.

2.2.2.2 Recent InfluencesHeavy mineral extraction in the 'Tweed Shire became a significant industry in the1ate 1940' s. Si nce then some 90% of the coastl i ne has been affected by mi ni ngoperations. Some areas have been re-mined several times.

There are aspects of heavy mineral extraction requiring considerationof beach barrier evolution. These are the'removal of materialoperat ions and the subsequent restorat i on programmes. (Fi gure 3).noted that the amount of material removed by the minining operationsa negligible effect on the long term recession rate.

The most obvious changes made to the beach Qarriers by mining were due to the backbarrier dredging operatioris. . .

This mining of the barrier systems changes both their land forms and vegetationcover. Low lying areas tended to be infilled whilst high dune regions weresubstantially lowered. The post-mining restoration programme produced a moreuniform vegetation cover over the back beach areas.

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In some situations the coastal recessional trend was halted (albiet temporarily) bythe re-establishment of the ·barrier and beach system in a more seaward location.This produced a wider barrier of lower rel ief. However, in such cases, a sl ightlyhigher rate of recession can be expected in the future, because with a lower barrierthe escarpment wi 11 have to move further 1andward to release the amount of sandrequired to satisfy the storm demand.

The post-mining restoration eliminated the blowouts and transgressive dune featureswhich had existed in the Shire's barrier system prior to the mining operations.These features occurred where the natural vegetation cover had been lost and sandwas being blown inland. Not only did the blowouts represent a further loss of sandto the beach, thus accelerating foreshore recession, but the transgressive (ie.moving) dunes were a threat to development sited in their path. .

Thus, the present barri er system of Tweed Shi recoul d be descri bed as one of lowrelief 1andform and uniform vegetation with transgressive dunes removed. Thesetransgressive dunes could re-emerge in the future unless an adequate stabilised (ie.vegetated) zone is established and maintained.

2.3 Beach Erosion &Coastal Resession: A Definitional Note

As the terms 'beach eros ion' and 'coastal recess ion' are used often with i n th isreport, the differences between the two (2) terms require some clarification.

When a severe storm occurs, sand is removed fi rstly from the beach berm regi on.However, as the storm progresses, waves attack the back beach dune system and aneros ion esscarpment is formed. Duri ng the ensui ng calm weather the beach bermre-develops, the beach width recovers, incipient foredunes are built and thesand-binding grasses re-grow. Thus it can appear that the beach has fully recoveredand beach eros ion has been offset by beach bui 1di ng. However, the net loss ofsedi ment through alongshore dri ft results in steeper offshore profil es and 1esssubaqueous sediment stored in the offshore bars compared to conditions eXistingprior to the storm event. The beach and dune system therefore become with timeprogressively more vulnerable to storm damage.

During a storm, up to 200 cubic metres of sand for each metre of beach length can betaken off·the beach and placed further offshore. The offshore deposition of thismaterial is evidenced by the building of extensive bar systems in the surf zone.During a storm and the ensuing mild weather rebuilding phase, some of this sand istransported alongshore, and although this may represent only 10% to 15% of the totalquantity involved in the onshore/offshore movement, it does result in the permanentremova1 of sand from the beach and a net 1andward movement of the overall beachsystem then occurs.

The beach changes associated with the onshore/offshore sand transport, accretion anderosion respectively are' referred to as short term beach fluctuation, whilst thelonger term inland movement of the whole beach system is called coastal recess ion(Figure 4). The magnitude of the short term fluctuations often masks the long termtrend.

In the Tweed regi on, coastal recess ion does not occur as a continuous annualprocess. Rather, the history of coastal recess ion refl ects the bi;story' of stormevents. Examination of historical data (based on storm data from 1890-1980) relatedto beach erosion and coastal recession indicates that whereas one major cyclone orwinter storm may cause severe erosion of the beach, coastal recession tends to bemore dependent on storm groupings.

2.4 The Coastal Hazards

The Tweed coastline is subject to a number of complex inter-relating processes whichexhibit cycles of erosion and accretion, that will, unless protective measures areintroduced, produce an overall trend of coastal recession.

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These natural cycles differ in severity and are site specific in the intensity ofthei r impact on the envi ronment withi n the coastal stri p. Combi ned wi th the trendtowards coastal recession, the shorter term processes are usually only perceived ashazards when man-made development within the coastal strip is damaged or threatened.Development established in the past may now be threatened by either coastal erosionor coastal recession. This is due, to a certain extent, to the prior lack ofknow1 edge concern i ng coastal processes and the all owi ng of development on duna1systems.

It is therefore important to understand the types of coastal processes that areconsidered hazardous to man-made development, which include -

2.4.1 Short Term Fluctuations Resulting from a Single StormAll beaches in the Shire are affected by storm activity in a relatively uniformmanner, except in the regions immediately north of the headlands where fluctuationsare generally less severe due to the protection afforded by the headland. Most ofthe beaches are long and straight with a small sharp embayment on the northern sidesof headlands. As the majority of storm waves approach the coast from an easterly orsouth easterly direction, coastal morphology is relatively uniform.

Short term fluctuations (coastal erosion) are, by definition, confined to the regionin front of the sand barri er. As thi sis the most common (both temporally andspatially) type of coastal erosion, developments located in this region will beimmediately affected by the coastal process system, irrespective of any protectivemeasure.

2.4.2 Barrier Cut Resulting from Grouping of Storm EventsSevere storms can remove some 100-200 cubi c metres of sand per metre of beachlength. The southern edges of the beaches (in the lee of the Headland) are affectedless than the remainder of the beach because of the aforementioned predominance ofstorm act ivity from the east or south easterl y direct ion. Eros i on may be in themagnitude of 2 to 3 metres of landward transgression, depending on the intensity ofthe storm. The rate of barri er removal in subsequent storms is dependent on thedeve1opment of offshore bars, the t ida1. stage, storm surge and the profil e of thedunes. .

An episode of multiple storm events, depending on the specific conditions, may causethe Back Beach Erosion Escarpment to transgress landward up to 20 metres (thisfigure allowing for slumping of the escarpment). Therefore, there is an immediatethreat to development located within 20 metres of the barrier front or Back BeachErosion Escarpment. Naturally, left unimpeded, the barrier front transgresseslandward after each episode of multiple storm activity.

2.4.3 Wind Induced Movement of SandAt present there is little problem with wind-induced landward movement of sand alongthe Shire's beaches. This is attributable mainly to the extensive post-miningrehabil i tat i on programmes. However, there is the potent i a1 for thi s hazard todevelop in the future. This occurs when the vegetation on the sand barrier cannotinhibit wind blown sand. If these blowouts are not checked, they can increase innumber and size to become a transgressive sand dune. (The maintenance of a 30 metrewide vegetated strip should prevent this form of coastal hazard from occurring).

2.4.4. Inundation from Ocean Overwash into low_lying Coastal AreasInundation by breaching of a barrier system may occur during severe storms when thestorm surge, wave setup and tidal conditions allow wave run up to overtop the dunebarrier. The extent and height of the barrier system along the Shire's coastlineindicates that, at present, oceanic overwash is not considered a hazard to low lyingcoastal areas 1andwards of the coastal system. .

2.4.5 Scouring of the Inlets &Estuarines during Times of High Water FlowWhen a creek or river meets the ocean, the inlet is subject to a complex number ofcoastal processes, especially during periods of extreme storm activity. The

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The minimum width of vegetation cover required in Tweed Shire merely to retain windblown sand has been assessed at 30 metres - such an area would require moreintensive maintenance.

2.5.5 Inundation from the OceanAt present the height of the existing frontal' dunes appears sufficient to preventany significant breaching and ocean inundation of the hind dune areas.

2.5.2 Wind LossesWhile there is little problem with wind blown sand losses in Tweed Shire at present,it is essential that a well vegetated frontal dune system be maintained. It is_~ssential that 'where possible, dune formations be encouraged to permit the,establishment and maintenance of primary, secondary and tertiary vegetation alongthe coastline to minimise this potential problem.

IIIIIIIIII'I;I'IIII,III

30 to 50 metres80 to 100 metres

200 metres - ,:

Primary VegetationSecondary VegetationTertiary Vegetation

2.5.3 Escarpment StabilityEscarpment stability is largely dependent upon the height and width of the dunesystem at each specific site. In Tweed Shire extensive sand mining has created anartificial dune system along the whole length of the coastline. The existing systemis such that overtopping of the dune system is not expected to occur.

Escarpment stabil i ty is also related to the adequacy of the exi st ing vegetat ioncover, which in turn is affected by the extent of accessways across the dune.

2.5.4 Requirements for a Stable Vegetation CoverThe importance of a stable or well developed vegetat ion cover over the 1andsadjoining the beach cannot be over emphasised. It is desirable to establish asstable a vegetation cover over the frontal dunes as is possible. Wherever possible,pri mary, secondary and tert i ary vegetat ion shoul d exi st for a wi dth suffi ci ent toensure self-propogation of the species. While specific species and widths ofvegetat i on zones shoul d be determi ned in consultat ion with the Soil Conservat ionService for individual sites, the following zone widths are indicative of therequirements for a naturally stable zone for each vegetation cover -

combination of floodwaters, high tides, storm surge and wave setup may combine in acoastal hazard not normally experienced at this juncture. The resultant scour maytake many forms dependent on the specific features of the site and the storm event.Scour may also result as a consequence of the normal coastal processes. Prior tothe construction of training works on Mooball and Cudgen Creeks, inlet scour was apotential coastal hazard, particularly at Pottsville. To date, the Cudgera Creekentrance, although untrained, has not posed any direct threat to development atHastings Point. However, the performance of these inlets should be monitored andadequate access should be provided at these locations for future maintenance.

2.5 Coastal Impact Zones

Sand barriers and foredunes (due to there direct contact with the ocean) are subjectto dramatic instances of erosion caused by storms and cyclones over the northern NewSouth Wales coastl i ne. Further i nl and from th is' immed i ate impact' zone is an areawhich will come under increasing erosional pressure as the trend of landwardrecess ion of the coastl i ne proceeds. These areas constitute two .(2) zones forplanning purposes (the 'immediate impact' zone and the 'long term recession' zone),the dimensions of which are dependent upon a number of factors -

2.5.1 Short Term Storm DemandThis has already been discussed in general terms. For Tweed Shire, the width ofland that could erode in this manner has been assessed at 20 metres.

IIIIIIII'IIIIIIIIIIII

2.5.6 Summary .In the absence of future measures to combat coastal erosion, a strip of land with aminimum width of 50 metres measured landward from the Back Beach Erosion Escarpmentshould be maintained to preserve the essential elements of a stable beach system.This is the area that is immediately affected by coastal erosion hazards, and istermed the "Immediate Impact Zone".

As coastal recession proceeds, the 'immediate impact' zone will progressively movelandwards. To plan for the projected 'immediate impact' in the years to come, thelong term coastal recession rate for each embayment has been determined based onhistorical data over the longest time period for which data was available. Forconvenience, the long term recession rates have been projected to the 50 year and100 year impact lines. (Figure 5).

2.6 Coastal Erosion/Recession Management Techniques

There are several. management techniques that may be used either singly or inconjunction with other techniques where applicable, to control coastal recession.

2.6.1 Allow Recession to ProceedThis is a 'do nothing' approach which is only considered acceptable in certaincircumstances, ie. no eXisting or future development, inaccessible areas.

In developed areas, it would be expected that landowners, rather than abandon theirpropert ies, woul d seek to protect them, ei ther wi th or without consent. Councilmay then be placed in the position of having to refuse consent for protective worksand of policing that policy.

Therefore, this Development Control Plan has been prepared on the understanding thatthe 'do nothing' approach is an unacceptable course of action for the Shire'sdeve1oped coastal vi 11 ages unless some arrangement has been entered into wherebyCouncil would acquire properties faced with imminent threat from coastal processes.

Another alternative within the 'do nothing' approach is for Council to allow theerection of relocatable buildings - thus, reducing the extent of property ownerslosses when their land is eroded. While this compromise solution is initiallyappealing, it is highly unlikely that property owners will not pressure Council toprovide, or at least allow, protective works to be established.

The major problem with the 'do nothing' approach (besides the obvious abandonment ofexisting development) is that is 'pidgeon holes" the problem of coastal recessioninto the future for another generation to deal with and does not allow developmentboundaries to be adequately defined. In other words, at some time (be it now or inthe future) a decision must be made that coastal recession stops here~

2.6.2 Provision of Protective WorksProtective works (if and when required) must be properly designed and constructed ona Shire basis. Understandably, these capital works and there continued maintenanceare expensive. Thus, where possible it would be beneficial to spread capitalexpend i tures over a cons iderab1e peri od. Th is requ i res an undertaki ng to provideadequate protection as and when required.

The types of work that could be constructed to control coastal recession can bedivided into two (2) main types -

a. Soft works such as dune rebuilding/stabilisation and beach nourishment; and

b. Hard works such as sea walls or groynes.

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FIGURE. ?COASTAL IMPACT ZONE..

,..--------------------,1

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2.6.2.1 Soft WorksIt wi 11 be the aim of Counc il not to allow the Back Beach Eros ion Escarpment tocont i nue to move 1andward close to development, and where development is alreadythreatened by escarpment instability, immediate action in the form of dunerebuilding will be necessary, while the impact of storm events will be incorporatedinto programmes of beach/dune nourishment. These programmes will require asubstantial financial commitment by Council, to enable repairs to be carried out (asa result of damage caused by storm events) immediately after storm activity duringthe period of natural rebuilding. A facet of such a programme is the identificationand reservation of sand borrow areas which would be used for beach nourishment ordune formation.

An alternative to reserving sand borrow areas is to move sand from the beach berm toreplace the eroded escarpment. If this operation is carried out immediatelyfollowing the storm activity (during the period of natural beach rebuilding) sandwill return onshore at a greater rate to shape the 'removed berm' to its naturalprofil e. However, such a process wi 11 have the effect of reduci ng the amount ofsand available for the downdrift areas.

A possible alternative to reserving sand borrow areas or removing the beach berm isto transport sand from offshore resources. With improved technology and equipmentthis alternative may be economically feasible in the future. However, at thisstage, it is not known whether offshore sand deposi t ion is part of the 'act ive'coastal system (in which case, removal could be ill concei ved) or whether it is a'one off' deposition or natural accumulation.'

2.6.2.2 Hard Works

(A) Protection by a Sea WallThe features of a sea wall, present in several cases along the eastern seaboard are-

the wall woul d provi de physi ca1 protect i on to the 1and from coastal processesand thus special coastal pl anning consideration for development would not berequired.there would be a substantial cost involved in constructi,ng a sea wall as well asan ongoing maintenance cost.a loss of the beach in front of the wall woul d di mi nish amenity unless beachnourishment programmes were instituted and maintained.there would be a necessity to allow for sacrificial areas downdrift of the seawall to accommodate increased erosion.

(B) Protection by GroynesThe features and costs of groynes are simil ar to the construct ion of sea wall sexcept that sand is trapped on the updrift side of the groyne thus ensuri ng thepresence of a sandy beach. However, accelerated erosion on the downdrift side willoccur, necessitating the reservation of a sacrificial area. .

2.6.2.3 Sacrificial Borrow AreasAll of the protective work options entail an impact on areas outside the immediateconfines of that area being protected. The major impact is the accretion of sand onthe updri ft side of the works and eros i on of the beaches or sand barri er on thedowndrift side of these works.

Ideally, the winning of sand or rock for beach nourishment or structures should befrom areas not contained within the active areas of the coastline. That is, thoseareas of the coast1i ne that are not greatly affected by coastal processes and arerelatively stable .. Such areas could include estuaries, coastal lagoons andhind-dunes but removal of sand from such sites will require intensive study toensure that no adverse affect/impact is occasioned on this local environment.

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2.7 The Coastal Erosion/Recession StrategyIt is important to emphasise that existing permanent development (primarily thecoastal villages) that are either affected or likely to be affected by coast.a1hazards in the short term, will require very costly management techniques in thenear future (see Table 1).

TABLE 1

COST OF BEACH PROTECTION WORKS FOR THE EXISTING VILLAGES

Dune Rebuil ding Protection by Protection by Sea WallGroynes

InitialExpenditure $1,234,000 $6,671,000 $8,669,000

Average AnnualMaintenance Cost $ 522,000 $ 334,000 $ 433,000

Source: Public Works Department of New South Wales

As the management techniques of groyne and sea wall construction have the effect ofremoving a volume of sand from the littoral drift system, thus increasing the rateof erosion on the downdrift side (with a possible consequent 1iabil ity to affected1and owners), these opt ions are not cons idered satisfactory for the coasta1 systemof· Tweed Shire. Thus, the strategy adopted for Tweed Shire will be one of dunestabilisation and nourishment.

Naturally, due to the financial 1imitation of Council, it will not be possible forCouncil to expend substantial funds in areas which are currently undeveloped. As aconsequence, this development control plan will take the opportunity to ensure thatthe problems associated with coastal erosion/recession are not perpetuated in areascurrently undeveloped. Thus, in these areas, no development .(excluding that whichis in accordance with Council's Coastal Management Strategy) wi 11 be permittedseaward of the '100 year impact line'.

In the developed areas of the coastline, the strategy is to aim to keep the existingback beach erosion escarpment in its present position, through dune stabilisationand nourishment. However, to ensure that developments (including land) will not be'immediately' affected by a series of storm groupings, a general minimum area of 50metres landward should be provided from the back beach erosion escarpment. In somecases, this will require that individual property owners will be prohibited fromerecting buildings within a certain area of their allotment. In other cases, wherethis immediate impact line does not encroach upon any private allotments, a buildingline may be imposed for amenity reasons or where the allotment is in an area ofabove average coastal recession. Furthermore, where it is not possible for Councilto establish, rebuild or renourish a foreshore dune, without proceeding in a seawarddirection, additional restrictions may be placed on individual allotments.concerningthe type, function, structure and materials of any building.

In certain cases, the acquisition of some property, _may be the only viable optionavailable ··to Council. This would certainly be thd case where the managementtechni ques grossly outval ue the current market val ues of the all otments to beprotected. -

As the extent of the impact lines are in part a function of time and vary accordingto 1and and beach topography, it is not poss i bl e to standard i se the developmentcontro1s for the whole Tweed Shi re Coastl ine. Therefore, the coastl i ne has beendivided into compartments along the lines of the number of beaches. Part 3 outlinesthese coastal components wi th regard to the Coastal Processes, Erosi on/Recess ionStrategies and'Development Controls.

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IIIIIIIIIIII'IIIIIIII


3. COASTAL' COMPARTMENTS: COASTAL PROCESSES, EROSION/RECESSION MANAGEMENTSTRATEGIES &DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS

3.1 Introduction

It is convenient to discuss the coastal processes, management strategies anddevelopment controls within units along the Shire's coastline. For the purposes ofthis Plan, the compartments have been identified and named as follows (from north tosouth) -

1. Flagstaff Beach (previously Duranbah Beach)2. Letitia Spit3. Fingal Beach4. Dreamtime Beach (including Kingscliff Beach)5. Bogangar Beach (including Cabarita Beach)6. Norries Head - Hastings Point Beach7. Cudgera Beach8. Mooball-Wooyung Beach

Comments on each coastal compartment in the study area are outlined below in termsof the coastal processes; coastal recession/erosion management strategies; anddevelopment controls.

3.2 Flagstaff Beach

3.2.1 Coastal ProcessesFlagstaff Beach is a small 0.4 kilometre beach wedged between the North Tweed RiverTraining Wall and the bedrock outcrop of Point Danger. No long term erosion orrecession is expected as the beach is protected from littoral drift currents. Infact, it has been found that minor accretion could possible occur on this beach. Asmall. beach has also been created in the "Wave Break Area' of the training wallswithin the Tweed River.

3.2.2 Management StrategiesIn so far as coastal protection is concerned, the only Management Strategy will besome minor dune stabilisation and the prohibition of all buildings (excluding theexisting Surf Life Saving Clubhouse) from the Beach and Sand Barrier Regions.

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3.2.3 Development Controls (Flagstaff Beach)

1. a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked'Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(a)(I)".

b. No development is to be carried out in that area between 'low water level'and the 'back beach erosion escarpment' .

c. No buildings (except those which relate to the use of the beach front andthen only with the consent of Council) shall be erected within that area 50metres landward of the 'Back Beach Erosion Escarpment'.

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~ 5(a)1T'vJE...ED DE..VE.LOPMENT COf'JTROL PLAN

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IIt-------------------t

I~-----=============~---_----I

19

3.3 letitia Spit (Excluding Fingal Beach, Fingal Village &Fingal Head)

3.3.1 Coastal ProcessesLetitia Spit is a 3.6 kilometre long sand spit extending northwards from Fingal Headto the southern training wall of the Tweed River entrance. The existence andpresent stability of the spit is primarily due to the extensive rock training workswhich constrain the river course, and the entrance breakwaters which have stabilisedboth the location of the river entrance and the spit itself.

The main shape of the spit is typically that of a coastline subject to a northerly1i ttora1 dri ft system and constrained at .its northern extremi ty by the tra i ni ngwall, which acts as a groyne. Sand retained by the Tweed River training walls wasestimated in 1983 to be in the region of 4.8 million cubic metres, with a maximum of4 million m3 near the walls to essentially nil at Fingai Beach about 3 kilometres tothe south. It has been estimated that since the training walls were lengthened in1962, the coastl ine immediately south (updrift) of the training walls has accretedby a distance of 250 to 300 metres.

As a result of these training walls, it has been contended that the Gold CoastBeaches (downdri ft) have lost sand that woul d normally move northward with thelittoral drift. It has been estimated that the training walls may ultimately trapapproximately 7 million cubic metres of sand and that the majority of the longshoretransport is currentl y bypass ing the walls naturally to the beaches to the north.As a result, further seaward building of Letitia Spit is not expected to occur,although further increases in e1evat i on of the sand dunes in the immedi ate backbeach areas may be expected due mainly to wind-induced sand movements.

Vi rtua11 y, the entire Spit has been mi ned for heavy mi nera1s, whi ch together wi thtraining wall/breakwater construction, have produced the present Spit morphology andvegetation features. .

The Spit will be continuously affected by coastal processes, however, due toaccretion caused by the training walls, coastal recession is not considered a majorproblem - thus, the 'immediate', '50 year' and '100 year' impact lines aresimultaneous, located approximately 50 metres 1andward of the Back Beach ErosionEscarpment.

Similar to Flagstaff Beach, a small river beach has been created in the 'Wave BreakArea' of the training walls.

3.3.2 Management StrategiesSome dune rehabilitation work is required between the Back Beach Erosion Escarpmentand the "immediate-IOO year" impact line to stabilise the sand dune and reduce theinc idence of wi nd - induced sand movement. These works are not seen.. however, ascritical in the short term.

All the homesites on the· eastern side of Letitia Spit Road fall outside theimmediate, 50 year and 100 year impact zones. Therefore, no specific developmentcontrols are required to be imposed on the property owners with regard to buildinglines, type of dwelling construction etc.

However, .. it shoul d be noted ·-that all these homes have no rear fenc~'s - . thusunencumbered access across the sand dunes to the beach is common and a multitude oftracks are in existence. As the Management Strategy recommends that dunerehabil itat i on and stabil i sat ion be undertaken, th is unencumbered access shoul d beprohibited, except at specially constructed access points.

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3.3.3 Development Controls (letitia Spit)

1. a. Thi s cl ause app1ies such 1and shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(b)(I)".

b. No development is to be carried out in that area between 'low water level'and the 'immediate', '50 year' and '100 year' impact lines.

c. Where an allotment of land to which this clause applies has a commonboundary with a sand dune, the boundary of the allotment is to be suitablyfenced to prohibit direct access (either vehicular and/or pedestrian) intothe sand dune. Details of such fencing is to be approved by the Chief TownPlanner.

d(l) A person shall not carry out any work to protect land from coastal erosionor coastal recession without the permission of Council.

d(2) Council shall only consider granting permission to such works be carriedout, if after consulting with the Publ ic Works Department, it considersthat such works will have no adverse affect on any adjoining properties oradversely affect any coastal process and is cons i stent with Counci l' sManagement Strategy.

e. A person shall not erect a bUilding on an allotment of land to which thisclause applies unless consideration has been given to -

i. the impact of that building on the coastal environment and where harmto the coastal environment is likely to be caused, any means that maybe employed to protect the coastal environment or to mitigate thatharm;

ii. the affect of that building on the landscape or scenic quality of thelocal ity;

iii. the character; location, siting, bulk, scale, shape, size, height,density, design or external appearance of the building in relationshipto development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and inparticular, the amenity of the beach environment.

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3.4 Fingal Beach

3.4.1 Coastal ProcessesFingal Beach is the 0.6 kilometre section of Letitia Spit directly in front ofFingal Village and Caravan Park. Rock outcropping occurs in the surf zone of FingalBeach and Cook Island and cobble reefs provide some protection against storm waves.However, there has been and still is, the poss i bil i ty for wi nd - induced i nstabil i tyto develop in the dune system at Fingal Head.

Although Fingal Beach is afforded some protection from the rock outcrops (hence theshall owness of the zeta shaped curve), it is not apparently i nfl uenced ,by theaccreting effects of the Tweed River training walls. As a result of this, the'immediate, 50 year and 100 year impact lines', although contiguous, are locatedfurther seaward than the Letitia Spit impact lines.

The majority of Fingal Caravan Park and Surf Life Saving Club is located within theimmediate impact line, together with the rear of four (4) properties (Lots 29 to 32,D.P. 18026, Queen Street).

3.4.2 Management StrategiesDue to the effect natural erosion/storm surges would have on the Fingal Caravan Parkand Surf Life Saving Club a dune rebuilding/stabilisation option is suggestedwhereby after a storm, the dune is rebuilt back to the eXisting Back Beach ErosionEscarpment. This sand nourishment would only be required when the Back BeachErosion Escarpment was in threat of collapse or landward transgression. Naturally,if during the storm the Caravan Park was under threat of destruction, then immediateameliorative works would be required.

In addition to the Beach nourishment strategy, dune stabilisation is required on the'Spit' which joins Fingal Headland (lighthouse) 'to Fingal Village as the dune systemis a potentially unstable area ,due to wind-induced sand movement.

Both Management Strategies mentioned above are not seen as critical in the shortterm.

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3.4.3 Development Controls (Fingal Beach)

1. a. Thi s clause app1ies to such 1and shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(c)(I)". '

b. Except as provided by the provisions of Clauses 2 and 3, no development isto be carried out in that area between 'low water level' and the'immediate, 50 year and 100 year impact' lines.

c. Where an allotment of land to which this clause applies has a commonboundary with a sand dune, the boundary of the allotment is to be suitablyfenced to prohibit direct access (either vehicular and/or pedestrian) intothe sand dune. Deta il s of such fenci ng is to be approved by the Chi ef TownPlanner.


d(2) Council shall only consider granting permission to such works being carriedout, if after consulting with the Publ ic Works Department, it considersthat such works will have no adverse affect on any adjoining properties oradversely affect any coastal process and is consistent with Council'sManagement Strategy.

e. A person shall not erect a building on an allotment of land to which thisclause applies unless consideration has been given to -

i. the impact of that building on the coastal environment and, where harmto the coastal environment is likely to be caused, any means that maybe employed to protect the coasta1 envi ronment or to mi t igate thatharm;


iii. the character, location, siting, bulk, scale, shape, size, height,density, design or external appearance of the building in relationshipto development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and inparticular, the amenity of the-beach environment.

2. a. This clause applies to those allotments 29 to 32 in D.P. 18026, andPort ions 342 and 343, pari sh of Cudgen, as is wi thi n Zone 3(e) of the"Tweed Local Environmental Plan 1987".

b. Nothwithstanding the provisions of subclause (b) of Clause 1, no buildingis to be erected within six (6) metres from the boundary of Marine Street.

c. The provisions of Subclauses (c), _(d) and (e) of Clause 1 apply to thoseallotments of land to which this clause applies.

3. a. This clause applies to that land generally referred to as Fingal CaravanPark and Surf LifeSaving Club. -

b. Notwithstanding the provisions of Clause 1, Development shall only becarried out in general accordance with "Tweed Development Control Plan No.8(c)(2)" .

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NE£D DE...VELOPMENT CONTRQL, Pl...AN t-Jo B (C-) fFIt\lGAL HEAD

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3.5 Dreamtime Beach

3.5.1 Coastal ProcessesDreamtime Beach (known also as Wommin Bay and Kingsc1iff Beach) is the mostpronounced zeta curved Beach in the Shire, approximately 7.5 kilometres in lengthlinking Fingal Head in the north with Kingscliff (Cudgen Headland) to the south.The coastal town of Ki ngsc1 iff has developed on Cudgen Headl and and the coastalbarrier, less than 300 metres from the beach, whilst there is a small settlementcontaining some 30 houses on the seaward side of Wommin Lagoon.

The northern half of the embayment is backed by a narrow sand spit with the TweedRiver as the western boundary. Wommin Lake and Wommin Lagoon, presumably once partof the Tweed River waterway, lie in the middle of this spit, which at its narrowestpoint is only 400 metres between river and sea.

At the southern end of the embayment, the Cudgen Creek training walls havestabilised the entrance- thus, the eposodic meandering of the creek entrance alongthe beach has ceased, and hence, the magnitude of short term beach fluctuations hasbeen reduced.

Virtually, the whole of the beach, dune and hind dune areas have been reshaped bymining operations, reclamation and storm events. Generally, the mining operationshave stabil i sed the foreshore ali gnment (due to rehabil itat i on) although the duneheight has been lowered.

It should also be noted that the extensive reshaping of the beach, dune and hinddune profil es may have masked the natural eros i on trends - part i cul arly whereartiffcial accretion was created by mining restoration thus, providing the foreshorewith sand material to cater for several years of foreshore erosion.

The estimated foreshore recession rates (per annum) and the movement of the beachescarpment along Dreamtime Beach for the periods 1947 to 1977 and 1962 to 1977 areshown in Figures 6 and 7.

The abovementioned recession rates were used to calculate the 'immediate', '50 year'and '100 year' impact lines for Dreamtime Beach. The small settlement east ofWommin Lagoon is on1y"'marginally affected (5 properties) by the 100 year impact1i ne, wi th only the rear of three (3) propert ies affected by the 50 year impactline. No properties are affected by the immediate impact line.

Kingsc1iff Village on the other hand, is severely affected by the impact lines,particularly that area east of Murphys Road, Kingscliff Street, and Pearl Street.

3.5.2 Management StrategiesIn the area from Fingal Head to just south of the settlement east of Wommin Lagoon,dune stabilisation and rehabilitation will be carried out to ensure that theexi st i ng eros ion escarpment does not encroach 1andward. Th i s rehabi 1i tat i on workshould also decrease the likely incidence of transgressive dunes continuing, whichis what has been happening since about 1962. Even though the erosion rates in thisarea are small (0.1 to 0.4 metres per year), it is considered to be located within acoastal hazard ri sk zone as there is a lower confi dence 1eve1 in the estimatedrecession rates andth.e. area is .vulnerable to a situation where the ocean and/orfloodwaters could breach the dune in this narrow area of land between the sea andthe Tweed River. Therefore, some dune nourishment is required to lift the height ofthe dune in some areas to a uniform level of around 9.0 metres AHD, similar to thedune heights at Pottsville and Hastings Point.

- 27 -

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29

<

In the area between Wommin Lagoon and south of Wommin Lake, it is suggested that nocoastal erosion/management strategies be undertaken as the area in general isundeveloped, liable to inundation from flood waters and not likely to be subject todevelopment pressures as most of the land is under Crown control. In the area southof Wommi n Lake to north of Murphys Road, there are certa in pockets of 1and thatcoul d be developed for low intens ity type uses, eg. golf courses, caravan parks,etc., provided the necessary impact lines are taken into consideration and providedany such development did not sterilise all the possible sand borrow areas requiresfor beach nourishment elsewhere.

Section 94 contributions would be required for any development within this area inaccordance with Council's Coastal Management Strategy.

The ·three (3) kilometre area between Cudgen Creek and north of Murphys Roadconstitutes that area where beach protection works will be required as a matter ofpri ority, as there is extens i ve development west of Mari ne Parade and east ofMurphys Road. Also, this area has the highest average annual recession rates(between 1.1 to 1.8 metres per year).

Also, to ensure that Kingscliff Beach retains its amenity, it is Council's desire tokeep the beach in its present position. To achieve this aim,· it will be necessaryto increase both the height and width of the foreshore dune area· to ensure thatthere is enough sand available for dissipation of wave energy during periods ofstorm wave activity. If an adequate foredune was not present, then the unspent waveenergy would remove a greater width of back beach area. Naturally, to ensure thatthi s foredune was not affected by wi nd- induced movement, it wi 11 be necessary tovegetate and regularly maintain this foredune.

Ideally, this foreshore dune (sand barrier) should be a mlnlmUm of at least 50metres landward of the existing erosion escarpment. Presently, the area between theexisting erosion escarpment and the 'immediate impact line' in Kingscliff variesfrom 30 metres at Murphys road to approximately 40 metres near Falks Park.

Due to the high average annual recession rates between the Kingscliff Caravan Parkand Ki ngscl iff Bowl i ng Cl ub, these developments are already at ri sk. It shoul d al sobe noted that the erosion escarpment may recede up to 20 metres in a major cyclone.Thus, this area, measuring about 900 metres in length requires dune rebui1ding as amatter of priority. To achieve what is regarded as the minimum distance betweendevelopment and the erosion escarpment, a 50 metre foreshore dune is required to beestablished. Thus, the abandonment of the South Kingscliff Caravan Park andKingscliff Bowling Club is probably required. The Kingscliff Bowling Club havepurchased property in Pearl Street, Kingscliff whereas the relocation of theKingscliff Caravan Park should be carried out in conjunction with the KingscliffNorth Caravan Park (to an area west of the existing town of Kingscliff).·

At the estimated average annual rates of recession, the developments in Murphys road. shoul d not requi re immed i ate protect ion . Although, it shoul d be noted that theexisting erosion escarpment is virtually within the Beach Berm area, and as aresult, the 50 year impact line is only 25 metres landward of the 'immediate impact1i ne'. In other words, th~re is only approxi mately 55 metres between the exi st i ngback beach erosion escarpment and the 50 yeaf impact line, which runs through themiddle of twelve (12) properties.' Asa result of this,· a foreshore buildiilg- linehas been imposed on these propert i es to provi de a 'safe buffer' incase theimmediate impact line is breached during a series of storm events. This buildingline has been set at 25 metres. Unfortunately, many of the older existing dwellingshave been erected virtually on the rear property boundary.

The area between the Bowling Club and Wommin Bay road should not require any majorbeach protection work in the short term, .assuming average annual rates of recession.

- 30 -


At current pri ces, the annual commitment requi red by Council for dune nouri shment,·stabilisation, maintenance etc. would be approximately $338,000.

It must be real i sed that the actual rates of recess ion coul d be exceeded duri ng aseries of severe or extreme storm events, or alternatively, reduced during aprolonged period of calm weather. The last extreme event in Tweed Shire was in 1959and severe storms in 1976. There have been 52 severe storms and 13 extreme eventsduring the period 1890 to 1976. The last ten (10) years, 1976 to 1986, has been aperiod of exceptional calm weather.

Protective measures such as sea walls, groynes or breakwaters have not beenconsidered due to the devestating effect these have downdrift and the general lossof beach amenity these works create.

SummaryIn re1at ion to coastal protection, the Management Strategy recommended is one ofdune nouri shment toconta in the exi st i ng erosion escarpment (and in some cases,shift this forward) and Dune Stabilisation. As would be expected, no new buildingsor extensions to existing buildings will be permitted east of Marine Parade. In thecase of that development east of Murphys Road, no new bUildings or extensions willbe permitted within 25 metres of the rear property boundaries.

In the area north of Murphys Road to Fingal Headland, no development will bepermi tted seaward of the 100 year impact 1i ne. .

As previ ously stated, ideally thi s rehabil i tated foreshore dune or sand barri ershould be about 50 metres in width. Naturally, it is not intended to construct aforeshore dune 50 metres wide from Cudgen Creek to north of Murphys Road, as. some ofthis foreshore reserve is required for parkland, car parking and amenitiesbuildings. The Coastal Management Strategy has taken this into account andintegrated the proposed foreshore dune around existing amenities where possible.

'.:,: .:<

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

.....,.

IIII - 31 -

3.5.3 Development Controls (Dreamtime Beach)

1. ·a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the maps marked"Twe~d Development Control Plan No. 8(d)(I) and 8(d)(2)".

b. Except as provided by the provisions .of Clauses 2 and 3, no development isto be carried out in that area between 'low water level' and the '100 yearimpact' line.

c. Where an allotment of land to which this clause applies has a commonboundary with a sand dune, the boundary of the allotment is to be suitablyfenced to prohibit direct a~cess (either vehicular and/or pedestrian) intothe sand dune. Details of such fencing is to be approved by the Chief TownPlanner.

d(l) A person shall not carry out any work to protect land from cnastal erosionor coastal recession without the per~ission of Council.

d(2) Council shall only consider granting permission to such works being carriedout, if after consulting with the Public Works Department, it considersthat such works will have no adverse effect on any adjoining properties oradversely effect any coastal process and is consistent with Council'sManagement Strategy.

e. A person shall not erect a building on an allotment of land to which thisclause applies, unless consideration has been given to -

i. the impact of that building on the coastal environment, and where harmto the coastal environment is likely to be caused, any means that maybe employed to protect the coastal environment or to mitigate thatharm;

ii. the affect of that building.on the landscape or scenic quality of thelocal ity;

iii. the character, location, siting, bul k,. scale, shape, size, height,'density, design or external apearance of the building in relationshipto development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and inparticular, the amenity of the beach environment.

2. a. This clause applies to those Portions 421 to 425, Parish of Cudgen, as iswithin Zone 2(a) of the 'Tweed Local Environmental Plan 1987'.

b. Notwithstanding the provisions of subclause (b) of Clause 1, no buildingshall be erected on an allotment of land to which this clause applieswithin eight (8) metres of the easternmost boundary of that allotment.

c. The provisions of subclauses (c), (d) and (e) of Clause 1 apply to thoseallotments of land to which this clause applies.

3. a. This clause applies to that land described as Portions 349 to 363, locatedon the eastern side of Murphys Road, Kingsc}"rff, as is within Zone 2(b) ofthe 'Tweed Local Environmental Plan 1987'.

b. Notwithstanding the provisions of subclause (b) of Clause 1, no buildingshall be erected on an allotment of land to which this clause appies withintwenty five (25) metres of the easternmost boundary of that allotment.

c. No building (excepting a single dwell ing house) shall be erected on anyallotment tinless it can be shown that the building is designed to withstandthe effects of coastal erosion.

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I d.

I 4. a.

I b.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The pr-ov;'s ions of subcl auses (c), (d) and (e) of Col ause 1 apply to thoseallotments of land to which this claUse applies.

This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(d)(3).

Deve1opment shall only be carri ed out in general accordance with "TweedDevelopment Control Plan No. 8(d)(4)-8(d)(7)".

- 33 -

.T\-,)£8) OeJE.LOPME.t\)T c.<:)NTRQL. PLAN N° e>(d) 1DREAMTltJ'lE... BEJ>.<..t\':' <. \NOMMltV ~Y)

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TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. 8(d)(4)

THIS PLAN CONCERNS ITSELF WITH AN AREA BOUNDED BY

DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. 8(d)(3) AND HAS NOT BEEN

COMPLETED AT THIS STAGE

- 37 -

TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. 8(d)(5)·




- 38 -



TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. 8(d)(6)

\THIS PLAN CONCERNS ITSELF WITH AN AREA BOUNDED BY



- 39 -

TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. S(d)(7)


DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO. S(d)(3) AND HAS NOT BEEN


(

- 40 -


- 41 -

The eight kilometre beach and back beach barrier areas have. undergone extensivechanges due to natural coastal. processes and sand mining. The top of the back beachbarrier (R.L. 12 metres) is located approximately 250 metres from the shoreline withthe Coast Road running along its crest.

The present barrier consists of the following sequence of features from the beach toCudgen Creek -

The average annual volume of beach erosion occurring between Norries Head and CudgenHeadland has been estimated at apprOXimately 110,000 cubic metres per year.

Due to the lack of any suitable reference points. north of Bogangar Village,photogrammatic analysis (which determines annual average recession rates) could onlybe carried out on Cabarita Beach (ie. that section of Beach immediately in front ofBogangar Village). Figure 8 shows the distribution of average recession rates for

a beach with a narrow dune;

an erosion escarpment ranging in rel ief from about 5 metres in the centre ofBogangar Beach to about 1.5 metres near Bogangar Village. The crest height ofthis escarpment is approximately 10 metres AHD and 6 metres AHD respectively,whereas toe levels are 5 metres AHD and 4 metres AHD resectively;

from the erosion escarpment to the Coast Road, a flat interdune area (ranging insize from 150m to 250m width) exists at a level of approximately 7 metres AHD;

from the Coast Road to the Cudgen Creek Floodplain, the back dune' slopes down toa level of about 2 metres AHD;

small, partly vegetated incipient foredunes reflecting short term accretion as aresult of extremely calm weather since 1976;

* extensive reclamation of low lying creek flats has been carried out betweenKingsclif Bridge and a point 2 to 3 kilometres upstream.

It should be noted that as a result of mining restoration, the low rel ief sandbarrier became well vegetated, thus virtually el iminating transgressive (1 andwardmovi ng) dunes. However, there is evidence to suggest that dune i nstabil i ty isredeveloping, particularly in those areas where uncontrolled beach access hasoccurred.

It should also be noted that the narrow strip of land between Kingscliff Bridge andCudgen Headland is highly vulnerable as the beach is exposed to severe storminfluences" (hence liable to experience larger fluctuations) and the landward side tocreek bank erosion (hence the rock protection works). .

It- is also of interest tq,....note, Jhat in a most extreme event it could be possiblethat overtopping might occur at Cabarita Beach. The effect of overtopping is quitedevastating (eg. Sheltering Palms and New Brighton).

*

*

*

*

*

3.6 Bogangar Beach

3.6.1 Coastal ProcessesBogangar Beach is an eight kilometre long sand barrier located between CudgenHeadland and Norries Head. The section of beach in front of the Village of Bogangaris known as Cabarita Beach. In "addition to this eight kilometre beach, a smallbeach about 200 metres long is located between Norri es Head and Cabarita Beach.This small beach is part of a tombolo joining Norries Head to the mainland.

Bogangar Beach forms a slightly indented, zeta (hook shaped) embayment with the hookof the curve in the lee of Norries Head. A coastal sand barrier, 500 to 800 metreswide, separates the ocean from Cudgen Creek.


the period 1962 to 1976, whereas Table 2 shows the Linear Recession Rates for bothmaximum and minimum shoreline recession. In addition to the recession rates, Table2 shows the likely magnitude of the landward transgression of the erosion escarpmentduring a single storm event. It should be noted that the maximum possible storm cutmay be up to 20 metres.

The impact lines for Bogangar Village are shown on 'Tweed Development Control PlanNo. 8(e)(5)'. As can be seen, there are nineteen (19) properties considered to beimmediately threatened by coastal processes, ie. within the' area between theexisting back beach erosion escarpment and the 'immediate impact line'. A further39 allotments are expected to be threatened within a 50 year planning period.

Through the application of existing theories of nearshore sediment dynamics and theuse of aeri a1 photography from 1944 to 1980, the escarpment recessi on rate ofBogangar Beach for the area north of the village was calculated to be 0.9 metres peryear averaged over the full length of the beach.

As Bogangar Beach is a zeta shaped embayment, the recession rate measured at thesouthern end of the embayment near Bogangar Village is higher than the average ratemeasured for the whole beach. Figure 9 presents a quantified conceptual model ofsand movements along the Beach with a plot showi ng the spat i a1 vari at ion of thepredicted recession rates.

3.6.2 Management StrategiesDue to the annual cost committments that will be required to protect existingdevelopment along the Shire's coastline (particularly at Kingscliff and BogangarVi 11 age) it wi 11 be necessary that in the undeveloped areas of coastl i ne a 'donothing' approach be adopted as policy, except for fencing to deny access across thedune and sand barrier regions.

Thus, for Bogangar Beach there would be no Council funded management strategies foreither the north, central or southern areas except for a small section of land about500 metres south of the Kingscliff Bridge, where the Coast Road lies between the'immediate' and '100 year' impact lines. In this area, it is suggested that dunerehabil i tat i on be undertaken and that no access be permi tted across thi s smallsection of dune.

As the~ existing erosion escarpment is located between 20 to 30 metres fromproperties in Bogangar Village, substantial coastal management strategies arerequired immediately to ensure that these properties are not unduly affected bycoastal erosion and. that Cabarita Beach does not eventually become located inprivately owned land.

Under ideal conditions, the existing dune (25 metres wide) would be reconstructed toprovide a minimum width of 50 metres between the private properties and the backbeach erosion escarpment, (ie. the existing dune would be widened an extra 25 metresseawards). This dune would require additional sand after storms as required.Naturally, as this dune is rebuilt seaward, a greater amount of sand would be takenduring storm activity than a dune built 25 metres landward of the existing dune.

The estimated cost of initially reconstructing this dune (500 metres long x 25metres wide x 6 metres high) using about 200,000 cubic metres of sand and includingfenci.rI4l., stabilisation etc., is approximately 1.2 million dollars with an averageannual maintenance cost of $70,000, being spent on a needs basis following stormattack. It shaul d also be noted that Council may face 1and acqui sit ion costsnecessary to secure enough sand for both reconstruction and maintenance .. Thus, itmay be more beneficial to Council if the affected properti~s were acquired (perhapson a lease back system), and the dune rehabilitation programme carried out landwardover an extended period of time.

- 42 -


FIGORS .B

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A cheaper alternat i ve woul d be to renouri sh and rehabil i tate the exi st i ng dunesystem (25 metres) and require a building setback for those properties within the'immediate' impact line. Unfortunately, as most affected allotments are only 30metres in length, the ideal building setback of 25 metres could not be imposed.Furthermore, as initially all allotments already have buildings erected thereon, theimposition of a building line would only have effect if redevelopment were to occur.·As the land is zoned Residential 2(a) in the Draft Local Environmental Plan, anymajor redevelopment is highly unlikely. Nothwithstanding, a building line willachieve a reduction in the number of improvements (eg. swimming pools, extensions)located close to the existing erosion escarpment. While the imposition of abuilding line (eg. 10 metres) might create a buffer area well below the minimumstandard of 50 metres, it is only suggested as a short term solution to an expensivelong term problem.

SummaryAs it is a general philosophy that artificial obstructions to beach movements, suchas'sea walls, groynes and training walls should be discouraged, due to there imp~ct

on other areas, the Management Strategy recommended for Bogangar Beach is one ofBeach Nourishment to contain the existing erosion escarpment (and in some cases movethis seaward) and Dune Stabilisation at Cabarita Beach and Minor Dune Stabilisation.for the remainder of the Beach System. Due to the cost of this management strategyat Cabarita Beach, it has been decided that the '100 year impact line' be chosen asthe Building Line for the remaining beach areas so that minimal stabilisation costs(eg. fencing and planting) can be achieved without the need for major nourishmentprogrammes.

With regard to Cabarita Beach, it is difficult to construct a 50 metre dune bufferas the erosion escarpment is· only between 20 to 30 metres seaward of eXistingproperty boundaries. While it is technically possible to reconstruct this duneseaward another 20 to 30 metres, due to the width of the beach, the toe of the dunewould virutally be within the Beach Berm area, and thus, would be subject toeveryday eros i on trends. Furthermore, thi s reconstructed dune is well outs ide thefinancial capacity of Council's works programme.

As a consequence, the foreshore dune wi 11 be rebu il t, stabil i sed and fenced toprovide a buffer distance of 30 metres from the property boundaries, and a 10 metrebuilding setback has been adopted for those allotments affected by--the 'immediate'impact line. Furthermore, where possible Council will acquire in the market placethose propert i es between the Coast Road and Cabari ta Beach; wi th the long-termobjective of turning this area into foreshore dune, parkland, amenities and carparking facilities over an extended period of time.

- 45 -

3.6.3 Development Controls (Bogangar Beach)

1. a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(e)(I) - 8(e)(4)".

b. No development is to be carried out in that area between 'low water level'and the '100 year impact' line.


d(1) A person sha11 not carry out any work to protect 1and from coastal eros ionor coastal recession without the permission of Council.

d(2) Council shall only consider granting permission to such works being carriedout, if after consulting with the Publ ic Works Department, it considersthat such works will have no adverse effect on any adjoining properties oradversely affect any coastal process and is consistent with Council'sManagement Strategy.



ii. the affect of that building on the landscape or scenic quality of thelocality;

iii. the character, location, siting, bulk, scale, shape, size, height,density, design or external appearance of the bUilding in relationshipto development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and inparticular, the amenity of the beach environment.

2. a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(e)(5)".

b. No building shall be erected on an allotment of land to which this clauseapplies within ten (10) metres of the easternmost boundary of thosea11 otments shown cross hatched on "Tweed Development Control Pl an No.8(e)(5)" ...


- 46 -


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3.7 Horries Head-Hastings Point Beach

3.7.1 Coastal ProcessesThe Hastings Point-Norries Head Beach is a 2.8 kilometre short, fairly straightbeach. Cudgera Creek enters the ocean at an unmod ifi ed ocean entrance at itssouthern end. As thi s Creek has an unmodi fi ed ocean entrance, allowance must bemade immediately northwards ,for an increase in short term fluctuations.

The entire sand barri er system between Hastings Vi 11 age and Norri es Head has beenre-worked during heavy mineral mining operations. The barrier is characteristicallyuniform in height with an average height of approximately 7 metres. As a result ofpost-mining rehabilitation, the area was well vegetated, although uncontrolledaccess in the northern section of the beach appears to be breaking down thisvegetation.

The 1imi ted beach 1ength, offshore reefs and the outstand of Norri es Head havecombined to reduce the demand for barrier sand along this embayment. The coastalrecession rate has been estimated to be in the region of 0.16 metres per year. Dueto insufficient data, no determination of spatial long term variations could beca1cu1 ated. Thus, the abovementioned figure has been accepted uniformallythroughout the embayment, except for minor variations at the southern and northernends to allow for creek modifications and possible short term disruptions to thetombo10 joining Norries Headland to the Mainland.

In relation to the tombo10 (which acts as a controlling feature of beach alignmentto the south) it is imperative that the likelihood of 'blowout' development is keptto a minimum to ensure that a breach does not occur, as this would have a sigificantaffect on the updrift beach alignment.

The 'immediate', '50 year' and '100 year' impact lines for the northern part ofHastings Village are shown on Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(f)(2).

3.7.2 Management StrategiesOn1y the northern part of Hast i ngs Vi 11 age is affected by the coastal recess ionimpact lines, and these are the allotments east of Coast Road and east of PeninsulaStreet. These fifteen (15) allotments have as there rear boundary the 'immediate'impact 1ine. However,' as the coastal recession rates are only 0-:1-6 metres per yearthe distance between the immediate and 100 year impact lines is only approximately16 metres.

Except for the four (4) southern most allotments (Lots 2 &3, D.P. 557216 &Lots 10&11, D.P. 22492) there is sufficient depth to accommodate development outside theseimpact areas. Thus, for amenity and economic reasons, a Building Line of 16 metreshas been set in the area, except for those abovementioned all otments, where thebuilding line is reduced to 8 metres.

As the 1ocat ion of the present back beach erosion escarpment is approximate1y50metres from property boundaries (which is the minimum requirement), only minor dunestabilisation (eg. fencing and replanting) should be carried out to ensure the backbeach erosion escarpment maintains its current position.

The tombo10 at Norries Head requires some fence maintenance and r1!p1ant.ing t{) ensuredune stabilisation to minimise the risk of 'blowout' development

In addition, the unprotected accessways from the Norries Head car park to NorriesHead Beach shou1 d be either ma i nta i ned or closed as these walkways are caus i ngdamage to the area.

From Norries Headland to Hastings Point, there are numerous unprotected accesswaysto the beach, and it is suggested that the most popu1 ar accessways be ma i nta inedwith the remainder closed. This will require fencing along the Coast Road and downthe return ends of the accessways.

- 52 -

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.II


Opposite the North Star Caravan Park, is a wide unprotected accessway from the CoastRoad to the beach. This accessway requires maintenance and fencing to ensure itswidth remains in its present location.

The dune directly in front of the allotments at North Hastings Point is wellvegetated except for mi nor breaches where property owners are obtain i ng di rectaccess to the beach. These breaches shoul d be revegetated and the di rect accessprohibited by the erection of a pedestrian proof fence.

As the erosion rates are small in this area only periodic maintenance on anirregular basis would be required to maintain the existing erosion escarpment.

- 53 -

3.7.3 Development Controls

1. a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(f)(I)". .


c. Where an all otment of 1and to whi ch th is clause app1i es has a commonboundary with a sand dune, the boundary of the allotment is to be suitablyfenced to prohibit direct access (either vehicular and/or pedestrian) intothe sand dune. Details of such fencing is to be approved by the Chief TownPlanner.






iii. the character, location, siting, bulk, scale, shape, size, height,density, design or external apearance of the building in relationshipto development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and inparticular, the amenity of the beach environment.

2. a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(f)(2)".

b. No building shall be erected on an allotment of land to which this clauseappl ies within 16 metres of the easternmost boundary of that allotment.Provided that, in the case of allotments 2 &3 in D.P. 557216, and Lots 10and 11 in D. P. 22492, where the bu i1di ng is des igned to wi thstand theeffects of coastal erosion, the bUilding line may be reduced to a width ofeight (8) metres from the easternmost boundary of such allotments.

c. The provisions of subclauses (c), (d) and (e) of Clause 1, apply to thoseallotments of land to which this clause applies.

- 54 -

III"

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3.8 Cudgera Beach

3.8.1 Coastal ProcessesCudgera Beach is approximately 3 kilometres long and extends from the northernbreakwater of the Mooball Creek entrance at Potts Point to Hastings Point. Sincebreakwater construction (1968), the area immediately north of the breakwater has hadsand deposition and beach recovery as Mooball Creek is· now excluded from itseposodi c meanderi ng along the beach. The redes igned beach in the 1ee of thebreakwater has to a certain extent masked the long term impacts of the breakwaterand it can be expected that within time, this area will experience higher foreshorerecession rates than elsewhere on Cudgera Beach, and as this beach realigns, a morepronounced zeta curve plan beach will emerge.

The effect of the breakwaters on coastal recession can be clearly seen by examiningFigure 10. Cross Section A south of the breakwater shows that prior toconstruction, accretion on the updrift side of Mooball Creek was approximately 0.34metres per year, whereas after construction, this increased to 4.4 metres per year.Thi s accret ion shoul d cont inue unt il such time as sand wi 11 naturally bypass thebreakwater. Once total bypass i ng is estab1i shed, the breakwater will serve tostabilise the region of beach on the updrift side and provide a fixed point (similarto headl ands) for the development of the cl ass i cal 'zeta' shaped curve on thedowndrift side. Immediately after storm events, recovery of the updrift beach ismore pronounced as this area has to fully re-establish again before total bypassingwill again occur.

Cross Section B (located immediately downdrift of the breakwater) shows that priorto breakwater construct ion, short-term beach eros ion/accret ion was probablydependent upon the meanderi ng of Mooba11 Creek. After breakwater constructionerosion was rapid reaching its highest point in 1974. Since 1974, there has beenslight accretion probably as a result of the exceptionally calm weather in the lastdecade. Nevertheless, the longer-term recession rate has been estimated atapproximately 0.7 metres per year.

In addition to coastal erosion/recession, mining of the barrier dune (1963-64), hassi gn i fi cantly reshaped the back beach topography and changed the vegetat ion cover.The barrier dune was originally some 12 metres in height and the mining restorationboth broadened this dune and reduced its height to about 8.5 metres. Revegetationappears to have been relatively successful - although bitou bush is now dominant inthis region.

The broadening of the dune (with resultant dune height loss) has the effect ofincreasing the landward movement of the back beach erosion escarpment as a certainamount of sand is required in the 'sediment budget'.

3.8.2 Management StrategiesThe village of Pottsville has expanded northward along the southern 1 kilometre ofCudgera Beach. Most of the buil dings are modern bri ck slab on ground dwell i ngslocated on the back beach barrier. As can be seen from Tweed Development ControlPlan 8(g)(2), seven (7) allotments are affected by the 'immediate' impact line withan additional thirty six (36) within the '50 year' impact line.

Due to the costs· involved in~nstructing a sea wall (not to mention its detrimentalimpact on beach amen i ty) and the effects downdri ft of construct i ng groynes, aprogramme of dune rehabilitation and beach nourishment is preferred. Furthermore,as resources will be stretched providing protective works in other areas along thecoastline, it has been decided that no work will be carried out until the erosionescarpment comes within 50 metres of the rear of properties or Council reserves(including roads) fronting the beach.

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As the 50 metre boundary has been adopted as a benchmark, then only ten (l0)allotments are considered to be within this immediate impact lone. Due to thediffering recession rates, seven (7) allotments (including a public reserve) areseriously affected, two (2) moderately and one (1) is only marginally affected. Forthe three (3) allotments marginally and moderately affeced the imposition of theprevious eight (8) metre building line could remain with only minor beachnourishment works required. However, a substantial beach nourishment programmewould be required to ensure that the seriously affected allotments (Lots 10-13, D.P.23576, Lot 410 (public reserve) and Lots 45 & 46, D.P. 145810), were kept outsidethe 'immediate impact' 1ine. As these seven (7) allotments have existing olderstyle fibro homes erected thereon, some consideration should be given to acquiringthese allotments.

Although not requ i red for ' coastal processes' in the i mmedi ate term, the previ ousbuilding line of eight (8) metres should remain on Lots 2-5 D.P. 253861, Lots100-103 D.P. 229328, Lot 58 D.P. 221408, Lot 11 D.P. 10126, Lot 16 D.P. 210126, Lot22 D.P. 249208, Lots 40-42 D.P. 249208, and Lots 74-75 D.P. 224871, both for amenityand future coastal erosion measures.

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L

3.8.3 Development Controls (Cudgera Beach)

1. a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(g){I)".


c. Where an allotment of land to which this clause applies has a commonboundary with a sand dune, the boundary of the allotment 1S to be suitablyfenced to prohibit direct access (either vehicular and/or pedestrian) intothe sand dune. Details of such fencing is to be approved by the Chief TownPlanner.




i. the impact of that building on the coastal environment, and where harmto the coastal environment is likely to be caused, any means that maybe employed to protect the coastal envi ronment or to mit igate thatharm;

ii. the affect of that building on the landscape or scenic quality of the1oca1ity;

iii. the character, location, siting, bulk, scale, shape, size, height,density, design or external appearance of the ·building in relationshipto development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and inparticular, the amenity of the beach environment.

2. a. This clause applies to allotments Lots 45 & 46, D.P. 145810, Lots 10-13,D.P. 23576, and Lot 410, D.P. 23576, as shown edged heavy black on the mapmarked "Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(g)(2).

b. Notwi thstand i ng any other provi s ion of thi s Development Control Pl an, nodevelopment may be caried out on land to which this clause applies, withoutthe consent of the Council.


3. a. This clause applies to allotments 2-5 D.P. 253861, Lots 100-103 D.P.229328, Lots 56-58 D.P. 221408, Lot 407 D.P. 510063, Lot 11 D.P. 210126,Lot 16 D.P. 210126, Lot 22 D.P. 249208, Lots 40-42 D.P. 249208, and Lots74/75 D.P. 224871 as shown edged heavy black and cross hatched on the mapmarked "Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(g){2)".

b. No building shall be erected within eight (8) metres of the easternmostboundary (or dunal boundary) of these allotments.


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3.9 Mooball-Wooyung Beach

3.9.1 Coastal Processes

Between the southern Shi re boundary and Bl ack Rocks, the shape of the beach isvirtually straight. To the immediate north of Black Rocks, a shallow zeta shape isdeveloping as Black Rocks is acting as a minor coastal control point. The averageerosion rates over this section of beach range between -0.9 metres per yearimmed i ately downdri ft of Bl ack Rocks to +2.3 metres updri ft of the Mooba11 CreekBreakwaters.

The sand barrier was mined during the. period 1965 to 1967 and re-vegetation has beenrelatively successful, although uncontrolled access along the beach is having markedaffects in certain locations.

The back barrier/spit region of the coastal plain (excluding the small settlement ofWooyung) comprises low lying swamp lands and creek systems.

3.9.2 Management Strategy

As the majority of land along the coastal plain. and back barrier regions is CrownLand, no protective work will be carri ed out by Council, except where the needarises, some minor dune re-vegetation and fencing may be provided.

However, unt il such time as a Management Pl an is prepared by the Department ofLands, no development will be permitted between the 'low water level' and the '100year impact line' except for maintenance of the existing Coast Road.

I

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3.9.3 Development Controls (Mooball-Wooyung Beach)

1. a. This clause applies to such land shown edged heavy black on the map marked"Tweed Development Control Plan No. 8(h)(I) - 8(h)(4)".



d(I) A person shall not carry out any work to protect land from coastal erosionor coastal recession without the permission of Council.

d(2) Council shall only consider granting permission to such works being carried'out, if after consulting with the Publ ic Works Department, it considersthat such works will have no adverse affect on any adjoining properties oradversely affect any coastal process and is consistent with Council'sManagement Strategy.

e. A person shall not erect a 'building on an allotment of land to which thisclause applies unless consideration has been given to -

i. the impact of that building on the coastal environment, and where harmto the coastal environment is likely to be. caused, any means that maybe employed to protect the coastal environment or to mitigate thatharm;

ii. the affect of that building on the landscape or scenic quality of thelocality;

iii. the character, location, siting, bul k, scale, shape, size, height,density, design or external appearance of the building in relationshipto development on adjoining land or other land in the locality and inparticular, the amenity of the beach environment.

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4.0 MISCELLANEOUS

4. L No person shall wi 11 fully destroy, damage or remove sand or vegetat ion fromforeshore dune areas.

4.2 Any fill used on properties within a coastal erosion area should as far ispractical have the characteristics of the native beach material.

4.3 No stormwater drainage is to be discharged onto the sand dunes or beach.

4.4 Any subdivision which is located adjacaent to the 100 year impact line mustensure that roads do not run immediately parallel to this impact line orforedune.

4.5 Section 94 Contributions will be required for all development within "CoastalErosion Land" in accordance with Council's Coastal Management Strategy.

4.6 This Development Control Plan has been based on the management principal of dunenouri shment and dune stabi 1i sat ion, and as such, is dependent upon an ongoi ngcommitment of funds and an adequate source of suitable material. Therefore, ifever the nourishment programme is discontinued (for whatever reasons) theerosion problem can be expected to immediately reappear.

4.7 This Development Control Plan has been based on average recession rates over arelatively short period of time, and as such, due to the variability of nature,cannot be regarded as an exact measurement (eg. a multiple series of cycloneevents could erode the coastl ine at a far greater rate than that which hashappended over the last forty years). Therefore, a conservative approach hasbeen employed in the framing of this Development Control Plan.

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5.0 REFERENCES

Pub1i c Works Department of New South Wales "Coastal Eros i on Report Tweed Sh ire"1983.

Soil Conservation Service of, New South Wales "Sand Drift Control and Beach-DuneManagement: Kingscliff Beach, Fingal Beach, Cudgen Beach and Cabarita Beach(Bogangar)" 1980.

Soil Conservation Service of New South Wales "Reconnaissance Survey to Assess Needfor Dune Stabilisation and Management: Tweed Shire" 1976.

Public Works Department of New South Wales "Bogangar Beach Coastal EngineringAdvice" 1982.

New South Wales Planning & Environment Commission "Tweed Shire Coastal PlanningStudy: Coastal Erosion Assessment" 1978. .

Public Works Department of New South Wales "Byron Bay-Hastings Point Erosion Study"1978.

State Pollution Control Commission "Environmental Control Criteria for CoastalBeaches" 1978.

Public Works Department of New South Wales "Building on the Beach" 1979.

Publ ic Works Department of New South- Wales "Dreamtime Beach Coastal EngineeringAdv ice" 1980.

H.V. Macdonald & D.C. Patterson "Beach Response to Coastal Works" 19th CoastalEngineering Conference Proceedings, ASCE September 3-7, 1984, Houston, Texas, p.1522-1538.

C.C. Patterson & D.C. Patterson "Gold Coast longshore Transport" Sixth AustralianConference on Coastal &Ocean Engineering, Gold Coast, 13-15 July, 1983.

Publ ic Works Department. and Soil Conservation Service of New South Wales "BeachDunes: Their Use and Managefuent" 1986.

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Documents

TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL PLAN NO - nsw …nsw-coastal-explorer.domorewithmaps.com/documents... · Tweed Shire Council I I I II I I I I I II II I., DRAFT TWEED DEVELOPMENT CONTROL