Councillor Corinne Lamont was told she hadn’t done her homework during debate at the December 10 Central Coast Council meeting The discussion was about whether Council should prioritise sand nourishment over seawalls Lamont told the meeting that the councillors elected to the regional planning panel should not be present for the discussion She quoted the codes of conduct and meeting practices Deputy Mayor Doug Eaton said Lamont was a new councillor and obviously hadn’t done her homework too well He said Lamont was one who had a conflict of interest since she appeared to be the person behind the Wamberal Beach Save Our Sand group Councillor Rachel Stanton said Lamont was trying to gag the Liberal councillors Councillor Jane Smith asked staff to explain what “beach armouring” meant – the words in the motion – but was directed back to the mover of the motion “You’re asking the wrong people,” CEO David Farmer said Lamont said beach armouring meant seawalls and the biggest of them all was a proposed 1.4km seawall at Wamberal At issue was whether four councillors – Eaton Jared Wright and Kyle MacGregor – should stay for the debate The four are either delegates or alternate delegates for the Regional Planning Panel Next year the panel will deliberate on three development applications (DAs) for the Wamberal seawall and one at North Entrance The Code of Meeting practice for the regional planning panel talks about avoiding perceptions of bias One sentence states that councillors should stand aside if a matter is related All four councillors left the chamber earlier in the evening during the public forum when two residents spoke about the item and referenced the Wamberal development applications But only MacGregor left the meeting when the sand nourishment item was debated about four hours later should have noted that he had signed off on a land holders agreement as Council owns some of the land included in the seawall DAs Lamont’s motion called on Council to adopt a formal position of prioritising offshore sand nourishment over beach armouring in its coastal management plans as a sustainable and environmentally sensitive approach to addressing coastal erosion.  The CEO’s written response stated that there were financial legal and policy implications of the proposed motion but he did not say what they were “An additional report from the Chief Executive Officer may be provided to further outline this process,” he wrote He quoted part of a Council decision from October 2022 That October decision was about the costs of construction works on private land while dealing with the engineering design requirements for a Wamberal seawall Lamont said this showed the item was connected to the seawall development applications She asked for extra time to speak to her motion when three minutes had passed Council had agreed to cut down the speaking time from five to three minutes Mayor Lawrie McKinna gave Cr Lamont one extra minute “What is the point of me being here?’’ she asked the councillors deferred a decision; leaving it to an as-yet unformed committee to deal with in the future All councillors will be excluded from the regional planning panel when it meets to discuss the Wamberal seawall applications due to perceptions of a conflict of interest A spokesperson for the Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure said the Hunter Central Coast Planning Panel is governed by the Sydney and Regional Planning Panels Code of Conduct The Code outlines that any sitting panel member who has an actual perceived or potential conflict of interest in a matter before the panel must declare the conflict and excuse themselves from participating Where the panel Chair considers that a conflict of interest has not been disclosed or appropriately managed by a panel member the Chair may elect to excuse them from sitting on the panel for that matter “The Hunter Central Coast Planning Panel Chair has excused all Councillors from the three Wamberal seawall development applications (DAs) citing a reasonably perceived conflict of interest/conflict of duties as the three DAs include land to which Central Coast Council has an interest,” the spokesperson said Council confirmed that there will be no Council representatives on the JRPP determining the seawall DAs as Council has an interest in the matter Councillor Lamont has obviously done more homework than Eaton & wright – maybe they could learn from her & try & understand & work with other councillors moving forward Instead of showing pure arrogance on the night David farmer would do well to apologise to councillor lamont Why why why are the Libs so wanting to open a massive can of legal worms by pushing on with the ugly as seawall that will prove to be a lawyers picnic at public expense At this point CCC is in no way liable for any damage to any structures along the beach as soon as a design is approved…who knows?… lawyers at ten paces I dont want a seawall only because I want all the dumb people who build a house on top of a sand hill near the ocean to lose their homes to teach them a lesson Under Section 5.3 of the NSW Office of Local Government Code of Conduct Cr Lamont has no conflict of interest regarding the Wamberal Beach seawall issue as she campaigned on the issue Cr Lamont is simply doing what she was democratically elected to do The Regional Panel was correct in removing the other Councillors from the Panel’s assessment of the seawall as Council is a seawall DA applicant Cr Lamont was vindicated as outlined in the article There was nothing tricky about Cr Lamont’s motion Her ‘sand nourishment instead of armouring’ motion was clearly related to the Wamberal Beach seawall matter as Council’s CEO used the earlier Wamberal Beach seawall EDR motion as a rebuttal to Cr Lamont’s sand nourishment motion if you listen to the Council meeting recording you will hear that Cr Lamont did not call for the other Councillors to be excluded from the sand nourishment motion due to conflict of interest she pointed out that the Councillors on the Regional Panel were no permitted to debate or vote on the ‘sand nourishment instead of seawalls’ motion because the NSW Regional Panel Code of Conduct procedural rules forbid it (Section 5) Only one of the four ‘Regional Panel Councillors’ took that advice and rightly excused himself from the meeting The Panel later cited the conflicts of interest of the Panel Councillors and removed them from the Regional Panel’s assessment of the Wamberal Beach seawall DAs Incompetence still reigns supreme at CC council with these arrogant clowns not knowing the rules I travel on the new trains daily from Woy Woy to Central and vice versa I love the new trains apart from (the fact) they are absolutely freezing Ettalong Memorial Bowling Club in Springwood St have both submitted revised plans to Central Coast Council for significant improvements… Humpty Dumpty Foundation has sprung into action to help Central Coast Local Health District provide seven breast pumps for its midwifery and Aboriginal health services Central Coast Council is preparing to replace the sewer rising main on The Entrance Road at Wamberal.  Gongues Constructions was successful in being awarded the tender for the works and will be working along the eastern boundary of The Entrance Rd between Crystal St and Tumbi Rd roundabout   Water and Sewer director Jamie Loader said the work had started in late June and will take approximately four months to complete weather permitting. “We have worked closely with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and Gongues Constructions to ensure that any works that might impact the flow of traffic along The Entrance Road are undertaken outside of key busy traffic periods,” Loader said.  “Measures are in place to minimise disruption over the course of these upgrades “We appreciate the community’s patience while we undertake these essential sewer upgrades delivering a more reliable sewer network for the Wamberal and surrounding community.” The community is being asked to do their bit at home and only flush the Three P’s – Poo Pee and Toilet Paper.  “Every year water utilities remove hundreds of sewerage system blockages across the network that are caused by wipes and other rubbish that has been flushed down the toilet,” Loader said “The build-up can cause significant damage to household pipes and lead to overflows in our natural environment.” Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time We’ve rounded up our top picks of the most luxurious properties across the country A morning dip or a jog along Sydney’s most famous coastal path can be a daily pleasure from this newly completed home The four-storey house boasts ocean views from every level There are V-Zug appliances in the kitchen and a plunge pool adjoining the main deck Owner-developer Justin Hill is hoping to break his own suburb record with La Belle an FBC Architects-designed home on a 4117-square-metre landholding adjoining bush reserve and less than 10 minutes’ drive from Wamberal and Terrigal beaches The vast living spaces are anchored by a dreamy kitchen and there’s a guest house ideal for visitors this elegant 1889 Edwardian has been transformed into a cutting-edge family mansion A monumental staircase adds a modern vibe to the truly enormous showcase family room while marble finishes steel-framed glass doors and balconies elevate the new spaces a tennis court and Paul Bangay-designed gardens impress For those who like their retreats discreet this award-winning house by architect Kerstin Thompson fits the bill the home’s floor-to-ceiling windows maximise the spectacular sunset views over Lake Connewarre dedicated sports oval and heli landing are all a bonus Architecture fans will be drawn to this modern icon designed by Harold Desbrowe Annear in the 1920s and updated with an award-winning renovation by EME Design The striking circular sunroom and leadlight windows have been kept intact while the revived living spaces are flooded with northern light and focus on garden views Claiming a prized position overlooking Woodford Bay this waterfront gem comes with two slipways and a boat shed Grandly scaled with double-height ceilings in the main living zone the property features multiple indoor and outdoor living zones and established gardens with a north-facing pool This article was originally published by Domain.com.au. Reproduced with permission. We\\u2019ve rounded up our top picks of the most luxurious properties across the country. A morning dip or a jog along Sydney\\u2019s most famous coastal path can be a daily pleasure from this newly completed home, set 300 metres from the beach. The four-storey house boasts ocean views from every level, and stone, timber and microcement finishes. There are V-Zug appliances in the kitchen and a plunge pool adjoining the main deck. Owner-developer Justin Hill is hoping to break his own suburb record with La Belle, an FBC Architects-designed home on a 4117-square-metre landholding adjoining bush reserve and less than 10 minutes\\u2019 drive from Wamberal and Terrigal beaches. The vast living spaces are anchored by a dreamy kitchen and there\\u2019s a guest house ideal for visitors. Some seven years in the making, this elegant 1889 Edwardian has been transformed into a cutting-edge family mansion. A monumental staircase adds a modern vibe to the truly enormous showcase family room while marble finishes, steel-framed glass doors and balconies elevate the new spaces. His and hers dressing rooms, a 20-metre pool, a tennis court and Paul Bangay-designed gardens impress. For those who like their retreats discreet, designer and peaceful, this award-winning house by architect Kerstin Thompson fits the bill. Blending into the regenerated landscape, the home\\u2019s floor-to-ceiling windows maximise the spectacular sunset views over Lake Connewarre. A self-contained unit, soundproofed recording studio, outdoor baths, pool, steam room, dedicated sports oval and heli landing are all a bonus. Architecture fans will be drawn to this modern icon, designed by Harold Desbrowe Annear in the 1920s and updated with an award-winning renovation by EME Design. The striking circular sunroom and leadlight windows have been kept intact, while the revived living spaces are flooded with northern light and focus on garden views. There\\u2019s a sauna tucked into the pool area, and high-end finishes throughout. Claiming a prized position overlooking Woodford Bay, this waterfront gem comes with two slipways and a boat shed. Grandly scaled with double-height ceilings in the main living zone, the property features multiple indoor and outdoor living zones, a sauna, wine cellar and mezzanine study, and established gardens with a north-facing pool. This article was originally published by Reproduced with permission. It’s divided the Wamberal community for years… whether to build a multi-million seawall along the beach or not. The debate has been sparked once again – with one part of a development application for the structure now on display. CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Premier Chris Minns will visit the Central Coast for a ‘Community Cabinet’ at Wamberal’s Breakers Country Club on April 1 The event is an opportunity for residents to voice concerns and needs with the Premier and MPs Registrations are open on the New South Wales Government website environment and development applications are the top priorities for a new team of Central Coast councillors after a four-year administration period they say frustrated residents and locked them out of community decision-making said that “democratically elected representatives” had already proven themselves to be better community advocates than administrators Coastal erosion at Wamberal Beach is a significant environmental issue to be tackled by the new council “There was a substantial period where the community felt ignored,” said Neal “There’s been a lot of decisions made about developments on the coast where the community wasn’t really engaged.” The administration was put in place after revelations that the council was operating under an $89 million deficit and was unable to pay staff The council was suspended and councillors’ roles terminated between 2020 and 2022 During administration, the council was the most complained-about in the state with Neal saying that the demolition of the Gosford Library which held “architectural value and cultural value” “I think the community and individuals in the community are just pleased that they can actually talk to someone which for some years they weren’t able to,” she said First-time independent councillor Kyla Daniels said that infrastructure and economic growth were key priorities, but that she was also concerned about environmental issues such as dredging of Tuggerah Lakes and coastal erosion at Wamberal Beach which has threatened homes and livelihoods. She said the community “haven’t had a voice for a lot of years and I think that it’s about time we were able to voice the opinions of the people “The community does have some issues that need addressing but they seem very pleased that they now have somewhere to go to have somebody handle their issues,” she said a Liberal councillor from the Gosford East ward having reduced its debt from $350 million to $200 million during administration could focus on reducing the remainder of the debt and preparing for the future “This will be the first budget [since 2020] that the councillors get to set “There is still more to be done to bolster our financial platform This includes reprioritising spending and looking at ways to draw more income from council assets.” While Wright was optimistic about the financial position the council was in he said that the biggest issue facing the council would be a significant development application backlog Central Coast Council ranks 116th in the state for DA assessment times “Key priorities will also include lowering DA approvals improving local infrastructure including roads and working towards increasing housing supply across the Central Coast,” said Wright Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter said that \\u201Cdemocratically elected representatives\\u201D had already proven themselves to be better community advocates than administrators \\u201CThere was a substantial period where the community felt ignored,\\u201D said Neal \\u201CThere\\u2019s been a lot of decisions made about developments on the coast where the community wasn\\u2019t really engaged.\\u201D The council was suspended and councillors\\u2019 roles terminated between 2020 and 2022 which held \\u201Carchitectural value and cultural value\\u201D \\u201CI think the community and individuals in the community are just pleased that they can actually talk to someone which for some years they weren\\u2019t able to,\\u201D she said First-time independent councillor Kyla Daniels said that infrastructure and economic growth were key priorities but that she was also concerned about environmental issues such as dredging of Tuggerah Lakes and She said the community \\u201Chaven\\u2019t had a voice for a lot of years and I think that it\\u2019s about time we were able to voice the opinions of the people \\u201CThe community does have some issues that need addressing but they seem very pleased that they now have somewhere to go to have somebody handle their issues,\\u201D she said \\u201CThis will be the first budget [since 2020] that the councillors get to set \\u201CThere is still more to be done to bolster our financial platform This includes reprioritising spending and looking at ways to draw more income from council assets.\\u201D \\u201CKey priorities will also include lowering DA approvals improving local infrastructure including roads and working towards increasing housing supply across the Central Coast,\\u201D said Wright Start the day with a summary of the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories Construction work will start this year on the upgrade of the Tumbi Rd and Central Coast Hwy intersection at Wamberal with Daracon Pty Ltd being awarded the contract Federal and State Governments are investing $65.5M to upgrade the notorious bottleneck to improve traffic flow and safety The Federal Government will provide $52.4M while the State Government will provide just over $13M towards the project The project is expected to create more than 100 full-time-equivalent jobs across planning design and construction and is expected to take about two years to complete “This upgrade will be a win for the thousands of motorists visitors and industry who use this critical piece of infrastructure each day,” NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said “The Australian and NSW governments are committed to building the important infrastructure we need to serve our communities now and into the future.”  Federal Member for Dobell Emma McBride said she was pleased to see work begin on the upgrade which would improve safety and ease congestion “The project is expected to create 125 jobs throughout the construction phase,” she said Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said it was good news that the contract had been awarded so the upgrade could get underway “Preparations for the work have already been made so I’m looking forward to seeing construction workers on-site in the weeks ahead,” he said “I’m sure Central Coast road users will be okay to deal with whatever short-term disruptions may be needed to get this project done.” Member for The Entrance David Mehan said motorists could look forward to fewer delays and queuing and improved traffic flow at the intersection once the work was complete “The upgrade of a crucial intersection on a key artery will also deliver better safety and reliability for all road users needs double lanes to remove bottle neck not lights to replace a round about will cause a backup down to the lights at “the bottom shops”;at wamberal a four lane road is answer for traffic on the main road.then how do you get Tumbi road traffic out, dual lanes to Forrestors beach are needed ,not traffic lights Improve round about entry and departure / slip lanes will be better than traffic lights to improve safety and traffic flow during peek periods lights will make it 100% worse for traffic coming from foresters beach plenty of traffic engineers in the comments section… Traffic coming down Tumbi Rd is already bad Is that all you get for $65,500,000 a set of traffic lights and no road upgrade Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "ac7f33d59a1ca979eaaede3504c6bd0e" );document.getElementById("efb1a04fa5").setAttribute( "id" The NSWRL Opens Blues Tag representative Gala Day will take place on 12 October at the Central Coast Regional Sporting and Recreation Complex at Tuggerah Blues Tag is an inclusive form of Rugby League with more than 10,000 League Tag participants currently registered to play The Gala Day will involve teams from five regions across the state For information on the teams participating please see below: Venue: Central Coast Regional Sporting and Recreation Complex (CCRSRC) free for pensioners and children 12 and unde Canberra: Mackenzie Alcock (Woden Valley Rams Seniors) Karina Hewlett (Woden Valley Rams Seniors) Maddeline Hyland (Gungahlin Bulls Seniors) Alicia Trevethan (Woden Valley Rams Seniors) Emily Warner (Belconnen United Sharks Seniors) Coach: Darren Grocott (Gungahlin Bulls Seniors) Central Coast: Melinda Beadman (Terrigal Wamberal) Coach: Samuel Ricketts (Terrigal Wamberal) Cronulla: Hayley Bannister (Kurnell Stingrays) Brigitte Salib (Cronulla Caringbah Sharks) Coach: Jonathan Te Wara (Cronulla Caringbah Sharks) Newcastle: Niesa Case (University of Newcastle RLFC) Rhiannon Chivers (University of Newcastle RLFC) Sarah Dodds (Wallsend Maryland Tigers RLFC) Natasha Harris (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Rebekah Hartmann (University of Newcastle RLFC) Breana Hartmann (University of Newcastle RLFC) Breanna Luckey (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Maddison McManus (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Blanche Morrissey (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Nikki Murnane (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Laura Neale (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Lily Unterrhiener (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Coach: Michael Croker (Central Newcastle Rugby League) Woodbridge: Lily Bannan (CSU-Mitchell Bathurst Mungoes) Pippa Honan (CSU-Mitchell Bathurst Mungoes) Samantha O’Neill-Baker (Orange United Warriors) Todd knows Tamworth will rally for Magic Round The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Highlights | Round Nine - Roosters v Bulldogs The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Highlights | Round Nine - Panthers v Raiders A huge coastal swell has caused landslips underneath beachfront properties on parts of the Central Coast at the heart of a heated debate over a proposed seawall Central Coast Council issued an alert on Wednesday evening after large swells caused “significant coastal erosion” at Wamberal and the northern end of The Entrance “Erosion has caused landslips at some private beachfront properties and steep sand escarpments,” the council statement said Debris had also been washed up on other beaches Labor state member for The Entrance David Mehan said the erosion was “very distressing” but that no homes in The Entrance had been structurally damaged said he was concerned by ongoing coastal erosion and welcomed all options including sand nourishment promised by the premier this week “A holistic approach needs to be taken given these events are becoming more regular,” Crouch said Sand nourishment, by which sand is transported in from elsewhere to replenish the beach, has been successful further north at Stockton in Newcastle and is core to the recovery plan for the Gold Coast after Tropical Cyclone Alfred Chris Rogers from the Wamberal Protection Association said big swells resulted in land slippage along the beach for a number of properties and a lot more exposure of rocks and other protection put in place in 2020 “We had the SES doorknocking last night with [the] council,” Rogers said “The frustrating thing for us is that four and a half years ago I was one of the many people who got evacuated Several homeowners at both Wamberal and The Entrance have lodged development applications to build hard protective barriers – effectively a seawall buried in the sand – to protect their properties The proposal has attracted controversy among other Wamberal residents who are concerned it would affect the beach for the rest of the community The erosion comes just a day after Premier Chris Minns travelled to Wamberal to make clear his opposition to plans for a seawall along the beach. more than 200 locals heard the premier back sand nourishment over the wall for the first time “I don’t have any confidence that the erection of a seawall wouldn’t have devastating impacts for the rest of the beach,” Minns said Rogers said the beachfront residents welcomed the premier’s commitment to sand nourishment but would continue their lawful process with the development applications as well The proposal for the 1.4km-long concrete wall at Wamberal was officially submitted to the council last year but the idea gained traction in 2020 when wild storms caused such serious coastal erosion that beachfront homes began to crumble into the sea Thirty metres of beach were washed away and the foundations of some homes were pictured teetering precariously from the cliff Wamberal Beach has hosted multiple rallies against the proposed wall since that storm as the battle between the anti-wall Wamberal Beach Save Our Sand group and the pro-wall Wamberal Protection Association got heated Seawalls have also proved controversial in other communities, such as Collaroy on the northern beaches, which was described as a “hellscape” in 2022 when a storm washed away a huge swath of sand Experts in coastal erosion say seawalls are effective at protecting what is behind them but can exacerbate sand erosion underneath. However, a beach backed by natural dunes is also an effective barrier and can allow the beach to retreat as sea levels rise because of climate change associate professor in physical geography at the University of the Sunshine Coast said seawalls should be reserved for places where there is valuable public infrastructure behind them “I’m more of an advocate of nature-based solutions – having a healthy dune offers better protection in the long term for infrastructure,” Leon said “For those houses on dunes and in erosion-prone areas like Wamberal I believe that a more cost-effective solution is actually buying back and just managing that retreat,” Leon said Mehan said his personal view was that buybacks were “a valid option” that could be considered alongside beach nourishment and other solutions He added that buybacks would not be suitable in every location “We need to get a solution that works for the whole state rather than wait for people to put in a DA – that’s not very satisfying,” Mehan said Tropical Cyclone Alfred devastated Gold Coast beaches last month.Credit: AAPIMAGE A spokesperson for the NSW government said there were no plans for buybacks of beachfront properties anywhere in the state Rogers said the idea of buybacks was “ridiculous” in the case of Wamberal because fair compensation to homeowners would cost up to $700 million He also said there were only 14 metres between the beach and the road so the dunes would not provide sufficient protection for public infrastructure “All the homes at Wamberal Beach and along the coast have been bought through a legal process,” Rogers said The swells on Wednesday were so powerful in Sydney that the Bondi Icebergs office was battered by waves shattering 30 metres of glass fencing and sending water gushing into the building Get to the heart of what’s happening with climate change and the environment. Sign up for our fortnightly Environment newsletter. Central Coast Council issued an alert on Wednesday evening after large swells caused \\u201Csignificant coastal erosion\\u201D at Wamberal and the northern end of The Entrance \\u201CErosion has caused landslips at some private beachfront properties and steep sand escarpments,\\u201D the council statement said Labor state member for The Entrance David Mehan said the erosion was \\u201Cvery distressing\\u201D but that no homes in The Entrance had been structurally damaged \\u201CA holistic approach needs to be taken given these events are becoming more regular,\\u201D Crouch said by which sand is transported in from elsewhere to replenish the beach has been successful further north at Stockton in Newcastle and is core to the recovery plan for the \\u201CWe had the SES doorknocking last night with [the] council,\\u201D Rogers said \\u201CThe frustrating thing for us is that four and a half years ago and we are still in the same position.\\u201D Several homeowners at both Wamberal and The Entrance have lodged development applications to build hard protective barriers \\u2013 effectively a seawall buried in the sand \\u2013 to protect their properties The erosion comes just a day after Premier Chris Minns travelled to Wamberal to make clear his opposition to \\u201CI don\\u2019t have any confidence that the erection of a seawall wouldn\\u2019t have devastating impacts for the rest of the beach,\\u201D Minns said Rogers said the beachfront residents welcomed the premier\\u2019s commitment to sand nourishment but would continue their lawful process with the development applications as well Seawalls have also proved controversial in other communities when a storm washed away a huge swath of sand Experts in coastal erosion say seawalls are effective at protecting what is behind them but can exacerbate sand erosion underneath a beach backed by natural dunes is also an effective barrier and can allow the \\u201CI\\u2019m more of an advocate of nature-based solutions \\u2013 having a healthy dune offers better protection in the long term for infrastructure,\\u201D Leon said \\u201CFor those houses on dunes and in erosion-prone areas like Wamberal I believe that a more cost-effective solution is actually buying back and just managing that retreat,\\u201D Leon said Mehan said his personal view was that buybacks were \\u201Ca valid option\\u201D that could be considered alongside beach nourishment and other solutions \\u201CWe need to get a solution that works for the whole state rather than wait for people to put in a DA \\u2013 that\\u2019s not very satisfying,\\u201D Mehan said Rogers said the idea of buybacks was \\u201Cridiculous\\u201D in the case of Wamberal because fair compensation to homeowners would cost up to $700 million \\u201CAll the homes at Wamberal Beach and along the coast have been bought through a legal process,\\u201D Rogers said \\u201CIf we have the right to buy there .. we\\u2019ve got a right to protect our homes.\\u201D The swells on Wednesday were so powerful in Sydney that the Get to the heart of what\\u2019s happening with climate change and the environment NSW Premier Chris Minns and his Ministers will host the first Community Cabinet of 2025 on the Central Coast in April Community Cabinets are an opportunity for the NSW Government to engage with local communities across the state allowing MPs to hear firsthand about both opportunities and concerns in local areas The Premier and Ministers will engage with community members and organisations as well as host a public community Q&A sessions from 11.45am-12.45pm on Tuesday This will be the Government’s first Community Cabinet of 2025 and sixth since forming Government “Community Cabinets open a direct line of communication for members of my Government and the communities we serve,” Minns said “I’m lucky to have a passionate group of Central Coast local members in my team who work tirelessly to ensure their local communities get their fair share “We know that we cannot deliver for these communities without working with and listening to the people who call this beautiful coastline their home “I’m looking forward to this trip and am committed to using it as an opportunity for genuine engagement with the Central Coast community.” Minister for Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris said the event would be a great chance for residents to have their say on issues that mattered to them and the region “We know that it is crucial we listen and work with local communities to ensure that we can build a better NSW,” he said Register to attend by visiting https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/engage-us/community-cabinet or calling 9228 5188 3 Baths2 ParkingView listing With sweeping views of Whale Beach and the rugged headlands beyond, nearly every room in this two-storey coastal retreat feels immersed in the landscape. “The upper and lower balconies are favourites of the vendor – both levels frame what’s arguably the finest view on the Northern Beaches,” the agent says. “Down below, the lush gardens and infinity-edge pool have played host to many unforgettable memories.” 4 Baths4 ParkingView listing One of Clontarf’s most captivating beach houses, this home dazzles with thoughtful details, from whitewashed floors and shell-adorned staircases to one of Sydney’s most spectacular pools. “The 20-metre heated pool features porthole windows and a serene aqua glow that’s pure magic,” the agent says. “Just across the road, direct access to the Spit to Manly Walk opens up to Castle Rock and Clontarf Beach in minutes.” 3 Baths2 ParkingView listing Regular days blur into holidays at this idyllic waterfront oasis, where tiled terraces and manicured lawns cascade to the water’s edge and a private sandy beach. “Positioned in a prime waterfront location with jetty, pontoon and direct beach access, it offers an unbeatable lifestyle,” the agent says. “Inside, uninterrupted water views fill every room – including the living area with its cosy fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass.” 2 Baths1 ParkingView listing This full-floor, 235-square-metre apartment sets a high bar for luxury warehouse living, where industrial heritage meets crafted detail. “High ceilings, warehouse windows, concrete columns and exposed beams define the bones, while rich jarrah floors, ebonised oak joinery and calacatta verde marble bring warmth and prestige,” the agent says. “Finishing touches like Viabizzuno and Murano lighting elevate the space to a designer’s dream.” 2 Baths2 ParkingView listing Architect Peter Downes designed this home for himself some 25 years ago, crafting a storybook-inspired cottage that unfolds into a light-filled sanctuary with cathedral ceilings and grand windows framing a flourishing garden. “The deck, shaded by palms and cooled by sea breezes, is the vendors’ favourite summer spot,” the agent says. “In winter, the loft becomes a cosy retreat, perfect for reading by the fire.” A masterpiece in Avalon: Harley House brings nature indoors From east to north: How one family found their dream home in Lane Cove Maitland: The regional city where the balance is just right 5 Baths3 ParkingView listing Tucked behind secure gates and surrounded by landscaped grounds, this architect-designed retreat delivers a rare sense of space and calm on the Central Coast. “Inside, sky-high ceilings and walls of glass invite a constant connection to the outdoors,” says the agent. “A heated mineral pool anchors the lush gardens, with a poolside cabana, al fresco kitchen and sunlit terraces enhancing the resort-like setting.” 4 Baths2 ParkingView listing A majestic maple-lined driveway winds through park-like gardens and sculpted lawns, revealing a Tuscan-inspired estate amid undulating countryside dotted with lakes and dams. “The vaulted ceiling and arched windows in the main sitting room frame sweeping valley views,” says the agent. “Once a celebrated boutique retreat, The Villa now invites its next custodian to enjoy the same luxurious lifestyle every day, at home.” 4 Baths6 ParkingView listing In a village where cottage gardens bloom and community spirit thrives, this three-pavilion residence by AO Design Studio feels perfectly in tune with its landscape. “A five-metre English oak marks the entrance, while recycled bricks and rich timber details root the home in its rural setting,” says the agent. “Each pavilion opens onto al fresco spaces and a lush central courtyard, offering garden outlooks in every direction.” 3 Baths2 ParkingView listing A modern reimagining of the beach house, this Kiama home is wrapped in coastal refinement and just moments from pristine beaches. “Sunlight floods the entry, leading into a sophisticated living space with burnished concrete floors, custom cabinetry, and a terrazzo island anchoring the chef’s kitchen,” shares the agent. “Timber floorboards and a wood-burning fireplace add layers of warmth to its contemporary aesthetic.” 2 Baths2 ParkingView listing Evoking the charm of an old-school American lodge, this one-of-a-kind coastal home pairs timber beams and stone walls to create a wonderfully cosy atmosphere. “The outdoor area opens to a lush rainforest backdrop, where the owners love relaxing in the pool and sauna zone,” shares the agent. “There’s also a bathtub framed by greenery and a downstairs pool room that’s brilliant for entertaining.” 3 Baths− ParkingView listing With a white picket fence and flourishing cottage gardens, this bespoke cottage captures the allure of its historic village setting. “Inside, vaulted ceilings with Velux skylights invite streams of natural light, while blackbutt timber floors add warmth and texture,” says the agent. “Soft sheers lend a touch of elegance, and cedar stacker doors open to a hardwood deck overlooking the tranquil garden.” Browse Domain’s property and lifestyle magazines. The information on this website is intended to be of a general nature only and doesn't consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. where we are privileged to live and operate In an unpredictable time for the revitalisation of NSW’s nightlife, the Ocean View in Wamberal are choosing to meet the demands of their beloved punters. More Brad Cox Located on the Central Coast’s Wamberal Surf Life Saving Club the Ocean View has upgraded their venue capacity to accommodate more than 500 guests Having opened in 2021 on the cusp of one of COVID-19’s many peaks the Ocean View has been a beloved venue for punters on the coast hosting shows for country musician Brad Cox and even OG punk rockers Frenzal Rhomb over the years.  Outerlands Representative Sky said in a statement they hope the capacity raise will “add yet another dimension” to the live music atmosphere at the Ocean View and welcome “another caliber of artist” into the space The venue has been a pivotal pillar in the hardcore scene on the Central Coast opening their doors to DIY artists and bands who sit at various stages in their career journeys and the demand for more live venues across the state constantly on the minds of those who enjoy live music Ocean View have now made the decision to up their capacity from 350 to 500+ guests.  each spanning from as little as 60 guests to the capacity of 500+ in some other rooms.  Keep up to date with what’s happening at the Ocean View Wamberal here. Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter Play Duration: 24 minutes 59 seconds24m Presented by Like many coastal communities across Australia, Wamberal on the New South Wales Central Coast has an erosion problem. Its beachfront homes which were battered during severe storms in 2020 face increasingly severe storms and rising sea levels due to climate change but there is still no agreement on how best to prevent more damage Homeowners are proposing to build a seawall to protect their properties while many in the community believe solutions such as sand nourishment where sand is dredged up offshore and returned to the beach Erosion along Wamberal Beach is an ongoing issue.(Supplied: Central Coast Council) Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts Report raises concerns around seawalls’ cost and effectiveness as low pressure system to batter NSW coastline with high tides and huge waves A cost-benefit analysis of options for a seawall at Wamberal beach commissioned by the New South Wales government in 2017 found that none of the six engineering options considered would deliver a net public benefit and that erosion would only increase with rising sea levels “A seawall will provide benefits to beachfront properties by reducing the impacts of coastal processes,” the report by Marsden Jacobs found. “However, in the longer term, more properties in this area are likely to experience greater damage and loss of property values from the increased flooding of Terrigal lagoon associated with sea level rise. “Higher sea levels will result in the increasingly frequent inundation of hundreds of properties surrounding the Terrigal lagoon, the loss of the beach, and impacts on council assets such as water, electricity, sewerage and roads,” it found. “The key beneficiaries from construction of a seawall are the approximately 60 owners of beachfront properties at Wamberal.” Read moreAs the Central Coast of NSW braces for another lashing today the state government is still sitting on another report by the NSW coastal council commissioned by the local government minister which looks at the vexed problems of seawalls and coastal erosion in the state Councils up and down the coast face a dilemma: should they require their entire ratepayer base, which often includes many retirees, to support costly seawall projects that often involve ongoing requirements for beach replenishment? Or should councils be looking at adaption strategies that accept that coasts are dynamic – some areas such as Wamberal Byron Bay and Port Stephens more so than others – and that the battle to protect inappropriately located development will become even more difficult due to sea level rise Letting properties slide into the sea is politically unpalatable and the cost of buying up the waterfront properties far more expensive than it was 50 years ago when the first problems emerged Former coastal council member and engineer Angus Gordon says the answer lies in changing the Local Government Act to allow councils to recoup the costs of the seawall from waterfront property owners over time, though a long-term levy on the affected properties. Other schemes, at Collaroy, have involved subsidies from state and local government, with waterfront home owners still facing $400,000 bills to build the wall. Yet there remains concerns about both the environmental impact of seawalls and how they will perform in the future. The Marsden Jacobs study on Wamberal was informed by a detailed study by the then-NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, which found that the coastal processes acting on the dune that separates Terrigal lagoon from Wamberal beach – and where the most vulnerable houses are located – are complex and will get worse with sea level rise. It found that without a wall, 82 properties in the study area are likely to be affected by coastal processes over a 20-year timeframe, and 92 properties over 50 years. In May this year, Central Coast council commissioned Manly Hydraulic Laboratory to design a concept plan for a seawall solution. The $400,000 study is being funded by both the state government and council. Another company, Royal Haskoning DHV, looked at short-term measures. But as the Marden Jacobs report detailed, the trade-off from protecting about 60 beachfront properties with a seawall would be the potential loss of visits due to the loss of the beach. “This loss of visitors may create some concern in the wider Central Coast local government area, especially as 32% of the beachfront properties that would potentially be protected by a seawall (at the expense of the beach) are only occupied occasionally,” Mardsen Jacobs said. The report considered a range of structural engineering approaches to protect beachfront properties and other infrastructure at Wamberal beach and the surrounding lagoon properties from the effects of coastal processes. It found that none of the engineering options considered provided a net public benefit for the local community. This is because all of the seawall options would result in the loss of beach areas, and without sand replenishment the beach would quickly disappear, with significant costs to the local tourism industry. Marsden Jacobs said it was not clear which seawall option would lead to the fastest loss of the beach but all would result in an unusable beach by 2064, without a major sand replenishment program Read more“The cost of sand replenishment is very high and outweighs the benefits of retaining a beach in front of a seawall,” it said “Only a Planned Retreat option (Option 8) -retreat by managing the duration type and intensity of future development within the coastal hazard area – provided greater benefits than a continuation of the current approach.” The beach at Wamberal was vulnerable to erosion long before the first homes were built Terrigal lagoon sits directly behind Wamberal beach and currently drains into the sea just to the south of the slipping houses but locals says the lagoon used to drain to the beach at a different spot Two storms in the 1970s – in May 74 and June 78 – saw several houses on the strip claimed by the sea car bodies and the remains of houses were dumped as a makeshift wall and the sand eventually returned At that stage the council could have bought back properties Instead it continued to approve development requiring new homes to have deep piles into the sand Comment has been sought from Central Coast council Residents living around Terrigal and Wamberal lagoons have appealed to Central Coast Council for more community consultation before any further action is taken on a seawall proposed for Wamberal Council’s Catchments to Coast Committee reported in March that Council staff have been working with the Wamberal Protection Association (WPA) residents group to progress a seawall development application with Council to enter into an agreement with WPA as a partnering landowner on Wamberal Beach The Save our Sand group has been vocal in encouraging objections to the proposal and now lagoon residents have entered the fray who do not want their surnames made public say hundreds of people living near both lagoons will be severely impacted if the seawall proceeds “Our homes get impacted whenever there is a huge downpour and most of us monitor when the Council opens up the beach before expected rainfall,” Tania said “Generally homes on Lakeview Dr and Bundarra Ave have gardens and garages flood (when there is) a huge downpour “Some of us cannot get insurance and those that can pay thousands for it.” Tania said a seawall would further exacerbate these flooding issues there is nowhere for the water to go but to the ends of wall – the point of least resistance,” she said this would see significant water rise at both Terrigal and Wamberal lagoons “Yet we have not heard from or been consulted by Council on the potential impact on the lagoon environment from a seawall.” Tania said more than 200 homes could face flooding “There are more of these homes than those that the association is looking to protect on the beachfront,” she said “The homes currently situated on the beach dunes should never have been built in the first place and Council continues to allow larger two-to-three storey homes to be built on these dunes which is grossly irresponsible “Some of the lagoon residents have lived there for 34 years or more “Further consideration and consultation is necessary before a final solution is approved “There are other options including marshes and living shorelines and rock walls that allow the sand to replenish naturally (as opposed to the concrete walls which kill natural dune processes) “The lagoon residents demand that Council consult us with regards to what is proposed (and act) only after an environmental impact study is done in relation to the impact on both the Terrigal and Wamberal lagoon environments “(We also demand) that more sustainable solutions be sought to mitigate irreversible damage to hundreds of homes/residents the Wamberal beach and lagoon environments and the Wamberal/Terrigal tourism industry.” Tania said she had met with Federal Member for Robertson Gordon Reid who had undertaken to collate any letters of opposition sent to his office Tania said the situation was very different to that at other beaches where seawalls had been erected in that the beach is flanked by two lagoons SOS continues to call for a halt on any action regarding a seawall until the Central Coast has an elected Council The group has suggested on its Facebook page that concerned residents should email relevant State Ministers urging them to stop any previously consented private seawalls; prioritise natural dune stabilisation and sand nourishment; and listen to and act on the advice of beach experts “Only by working together can we save Wamberal Beach and protect hundreds of lagoon residences,” the post says Council Watch Watching Central Coast Council on behalf of fair-minded and reasonable people April 26, 2023 by Filed Under: Explore Tagged With: , April 25, 2025 By April 13, 2025 By March 23, 2025 By March 13, 2025 By December 11, 2024 By November 25, 2024 By November 7, 2024 By October 30, 2024 By October 1, 2024 By This page is run by journalist Merilyn Vale and is not associated with Council. Copyright © 2025 · Merilyn Vale Opponents of the PEP 11 permit for off-shore exploration aren’t the only ones celebrating the passage of the Seabed Mining and Exploration Bill through NSW Parliament recently. The Wamberal Save Our Sand (SOS) group says the Bill, which bans offshore mining within three nautical miles of the NSW coastline, also opens the way for easier movements of sand. SOS says the Bill makes sand nourishment a substantially more viable option for NSW beaches including Wamberal. The group has sent a letter to Central Coast Council Administrator Rik Hart suggesting the new Bill obligates Council to rescind any resolution for the adoption of a seawall at Wamberal Beach. In a letter to SOS earlier this month, Hart said that he considered the matter to be in the hands of the State Government. “Until such time that the state government were to deliver any legislative changes that could impact any component of terminal protection works at Wamberal, I will not be making any further resolutions at Council regarding this matter,” he wrote to SOS. Significantly for Wamberal Beach, the Bill’s ban exempts coastal protection works, as defined under the Coastal Management Act, 2016, including beach nourishment and beach scraping. For more than 30 years, beach nourishment has been hampered by another Act of Parliament which classified sand as a mineral and restricted its movement. SOS says nothing should now stand in the way of Council using sand nourishment instead of a hard seawall at Wamberal Beach. The Council has recently paid $100,000 towards its share of the paperwork for a whole of embayment development application (DA) for a seawall which local landowner group Wamberal Protection Association is working on. “The new law allows offshore sand to be more affordably and sustainably returned to the beachfront as part of the natural system, sprayed or ‘rainbowed’ onto Wamberal Beach and other NSW beaches by a floating dredge; no trucks involved,” SOS said. “Wamberal now has a path to beach replenishment, including dune revegetation, on a scale and cost efficiency never before seen in NSW.” The group says the new law paves the way for Council Administrator Rik Hart to pass a resolution to repeal Council’s adoption of a seawall at Wamberal Beach. “Wamberal Beach SOS recently received a letter from Rik Hart in which he offered to meet NSW Minister for Environment Penny Sharpe and SOS volunteers Corinne and Mark Lamont to discuss sand nourishment as a solution for Wamberal Beach,” SOS said. The volunteers are hoping that the meeting will go ahead in the light of the legislation changes. Judging by the number of print ads in our local papers of late, the Liberals seem to be outspending Labor three to one in the campaign to win the seat… Ettalong Memorial Bowling Club in Springwood St, Ettalong Beach, and Everglades Country Club in Dunban Rd, Woy Woy, have both submitted revised plans to Central Coast Council for significant improvements… Humpty Dumpty Foundation has sprung into action to help Central Coast Local Health District provide seven breast pumps for its midwifery and Aboriginal health services. The Pumped For Life Mother’s… The area is considered more family-friendly than its southern neighbour and that is reflected in its lower density. Wamberal is an aspirational suburb with a median weekly income for residents about 25 per cent higher than the national average. Agents says once people move in they tend to upscale and downsize within its confines. Some choose acreage to the west of the Central Coast Highway, while most gravitate towards the beach.  Sydney buyers, especially from the northern beaches, are attracted by the lower property prices. The dual carriageway commute to Wynyard (clocking about 90 minutes by car and a similar time by train, plus a 10-minute drive to Gosford station), make it a sea-change option. Families have a choice of schools including Central Coast Grammar and Terrigal High and enjoy the Wamberal nippers program. The beach is patrolled from mid-September until after Easter.  Brent Pilkington of Accom Property Sales says Wamberal agents are expecting a strong spring. “The market has been good up to about $1.2 million in the past 12 months but we are now starting to see strong inquiry in the $1.5 million to $2 million price bracket,” he says. Wamberal has a slight snob value with residents happy to be removed from the carnival atmosphere of Terrigal. That said, they do enjoy having Terrigal’s restaurants, bars and cafes within walking distance. Families enjoy the patrolled beach, the lagoon, the schools and for those who have escaped Sydney, the more affordable property prices.  Ocean View Drive, Calais Road and Pacific Street have large, beachfront blocks where old beach shacks have been redeveloped into modern coastal houses fetching million dollar-plus prices.  Remembrance Drive is a quiet road opposite the lagoon and within footsteps of the beach while the elevated positions of Clairvoux, Grove and Dover roads and McGee Avenue take in coastal views. The median house price for Wamberal increased strongly by 17 per cent in the past year. Over the same period, 154 houses sold but no units traded. According to the Domain Group senior economist Dr Andrew Wilson, central coast property sales have revived in the past year. “Popular Wamberal is set to continue to attract buyers, particularly those seeking beachside residences with high levels of established local infrastructure,” says Dr Wilson.  Units in this southern neighbour have a median price $627,500, higher than its median house price of $600,000. Past the northern headland of Wamberal Beach, Forresters Beach has a lower median house price of $590,000. Central Coast Council has confirmed that some waterfront properties at Wamberal Beach have covenants that indemnify Council for damage to those developments But it has not said how many of the 65 homes have the covenants And it has not answered questions on how many of the covenants have been enforced in the last five years “The Coastal Hazard Management chapter of the Central Coast Development Control Plan identifies that proponents of development within Coastal Hazard Areas are generally required to register on title a mechanism that indemnifies Council for damage to development within designated Coastal Hazard Areas which include Wamberal beachfront properties,” Council said “These agreements on title may take a number of forms and in some circumstances are not required as every development is assessed on its merits “Some of the agreements on title require landowners to take action to manage the impacts of their development on adjacent public land “This agreement does not negate the need for development consent to conduct works required to manage any potential impacts nor does it negate landowners’ obligation to comply with the Coastal Management Act “The Coastal Management Act requires that the preferred approach to addressing the coastal hazard at a particular location be identified as adopted in the Gosford Beaches Coastal Zone Management Plan is a whole of embayment wall and beach nourishment “This is the solution that private landowners and Council (as a manager of public beachfront land and in line with many Council resolutions over many years) “This solution is entirely consistent with the agreements on title and has been in development for a significant period of time.” Wamberal Beach Save Our Sand (SOS) has called on Council to enforce the covenants to restore sand and native vegetation to beachfront properties whenever they are eroded by storms rather than build a whole of embayment seawall Council has said it is likely the covenants would become unnecessary and could be revoked should a whole of embayment seawall be in place Wamberal Protection Association (WPA) is believed to be close to submitting a development application for the seawall but SOS believes some landowners have not committed to the plan Coast Community News has sighted emails purported to be from WPA to landowners urging them to join the group DA “We have worked very hard over the past 2.5 years to develop and design long term protection for the entire beach at Wamberal,” the email says “We have done this at no expense to landowners and spent hundreds of hours helping all landowners along the beach develop a world class protection solution.” The email says it is a “once in a generation opportunity” and explains why had design guidelines to follow; we do now and we have followed them to the letter and this will ensure our protection gets approved,” it says had the Council join a group DA as landowners but they are in this DA application and have been working extremely closely with us to ensure we are successful.” It was revealed earlier this year that Council has contributed $100,000 for its share of the application Council said it was working with the Office of Strategic Lands on the future status of five parcels of Crown Land which are situated on the alignment of the proposed protection works Council is working on three new Coastal Management Plans for the entire coastal area Coastal Management Programs set the long-term strategy for the management of the coastal environments including lakes They are prepared by councils in accordance with the NSW Government Coastal Management Framework and will replace existing Estuary and Coastal Zone Management Plans prepared under previous legislation See details at https://www.yourvoiceourcoast.com/waterways Central Coast Council is pushing ahead with plans for a seawall to address ongoing erosion issues at Wamberal Beach with a preferred design having been identified but the Wamberal Save Our Sand group has slammed the latest development With the Wamberal Beach Terminal Protection and Sand Nourishment Investigation project now complete a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) has been released online at yourvoiceourcoast.com said that by identifying a long-term solution Council is fulfilling its role as a certifying authority for development while ensuring legislative obligations are undertaken with guidance from community consultation He said by completing the investigation project Council had delivered on some key management actions of the certified Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) “The review of all expert technical studies extensive community consultation and consideration of Council’s role and legislative responsibility in relation to coastal erosion have highlighted specific criteria for a preferred seawall design as the most effective and viable long-term solution for beach erosion at Wamberal,” Farmer said “The preferred seawall design will have the least impact on the beach as it will be located behind current ad-hoc coastal protection works “Those ad-hoc works would then be removed (resulting) in greater beach width “Without terminal protection and the implementation of the long-term strategy coastal erosion will continue to threaten private homes public infrastructure and expose ad-hoc structures “Beach erosion will incrementally get worse and require a continuation of expensive emergency works that are not designed for a long-term solution or a holistic approach.” Farmer said Council’s role to serve the community visitors and landowners who have legal rights under approved developments needed to be balanced with impacts on beach access neighbouring properties and the general health of the coastline Council Administrator Rik Hart said the community has been waiting a long time for a long-term strategy to address erosion at Wamberal “Council has delivered on identifying a preferred terminal protection option based on extensive expert technical studies and data with high consideration to community feedback and Council’s environmental and financial responsibilities and legislative obligations,” Hart said “I acknowledge that there are some groups and residents that are opposed to a seawall and I understand their concerns by not progressing with a viable long-term solution for coastal erosion at Wamberal it will only get incrementally worse and require additional emergency works which would negatively impact beach aesthetic and usability “The community can rest assured that all options have been investigated and relevant considerations undertaken to reach this milestone of identifying a viable strategy.” Wamberal Beach Save Our Sand (SOS) is “extremely disappointed” to see Council continue to pursue a seawall option Spokesperson Hugh Naven said Council was wasting money on reports lacking any community concerns or consultation “Council has continued to fail in addressing the real community issues and concerns associated with erosion issues at Wamberal and has once again highlighted the lack of respect to the greater community who use the beach,” Naven said local resident groups have been ignored and the State Government-led ‘tunnel vision’ of Council has continued to steamroll towards the building of a vertical wall along Wamberal and Terrigal beach that will eventuate in the destruction and permanent loss of both beaches.” He said opposition to a seawall by the wider community of Wamberal was informed by expert scientific opinion A recent parliamentary petition opposed to a seawall at Wamberal received over 2,200 signatures Naven said surveys and other engagement activities have been “deliberately skewed” to achieve a seawall outcome “The CBA only investigated seawall options rather than a wide range of all possible options to find what is best,” he said “The last time a CBA was conducted into all possible options it was revealed a seawall would have the highest costs of all options; Council has entirely ignored this “Our group would like to see another Cost Benefit Analysis commissioned Naven said SOS is calling for the establishment of a working group including representatives from Wamberal Beach Surf Life Saving Club Wamberal Community Group and other community groups as well as dune-front property owners and Council representatives “Such a group would allow for open discussion and effective consultation between experts homeowners and Council to ensure all interests are represented in the eventual solution,” he said “Wamberal Beach SOS is about doing the right thing for our beach and our community Council staff are developing Minimum Engineering Guidelines for future development applications taking into account minimum footprint A report will come back to council in coming months Why do I feel a King Canute moment coming on April 5, 2023 by Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: , , This page is run by journalist Merilyn Vale and is not associated with Council For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link] We responded to over 150,000 incidents in 2023-24 The incidents displayed below are note-worthy incidents that have been published as media releases or tweets Details about incidents may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice North Parramatta | The fire at Dunlop Street, North Parramatta has been contained but is expected to smoulder through the morning. Because there may be smoke in the area, residents and businesses in the vicinity are advised to keep doors, windows, and vents closed. View on X [external link] Fire and Rescue NSW acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. As debate over a proposed seawall at Wamberal Beach continues to rage, the suburb has been included on a list of the 20 NSW locations most likely to be affected by coastal erosion in the future. The list has been compiled from a new tool which analyses coastal erosion, flooding and bushfire data to rank suburbs most at risk, not only today, but also in 30 years’ time, as a guide for homebuyers. Groundsure ClimateIndex reports, available through InfoTrack, have put Wamberal at number 19 on the list, with Booker Bay also included at number 20. The report for Wamberal says: “Multi-million dollar beachfront homes sit on a cliff which is eroding at a rate of over one metre per year. “Sea level rise, increased storms and the effects from powerful future El Nino/La Nina events could all accelerate the demise of some seriously expensive investments”. Groundsure CEO Dan Montagnani said while he didn’t predict the findings would impact property value in sought-after coastal locations, it was important homeowners and prospective buyers were aware of risks to best plan for the future. “Climate change is already considered a Tier 1 risk by lenders on the impact to investment and value, and homeowners in some affected locations are already living with the consequences through higher insurance premiums,” he said. “As the trend to a more rapidly warming climate continues, the sad reality is that homebuyers in some vulnerable locations will not be able to secure a full loan or insurance cover. “It’s also hoped the reports will encourage impacted communities to consider infrastructure to improve their resilience.” InfoTrack Global Head of Property John Ahern said the Groundsure reports were unique in that they provided property-specific assessments for individual residences, instead of broad regional ratings. “They are specifically designed for property lawyers and conveyancers to do their due diligence and better inform buyers,” he said. “Until now, climate change has not been front of mind, but a new generation of homebuyers is demanding insight on risks, to consider the potential long-term impact for their families and financial security. “Homebuyers have a right to know what could lie ahead as they make the most expensive financial decision of their lives.” sounds like a nice way of encouraging use of their product – scaremongering residents and prospective purchasers into checking out their details and paying $39 a pop to do so. oh to be able to create a new revenue stream at will. Members of Wamberal Beach Save Our Sand (SOS) are outraged at the news that Central Coast Council has contributed $100,000 towards a Development Application (DA) being prepared in conjunction with the Wamberal Protection Association (WPA) for a seawall at the popular beach SOS spokesperson Corinne Lamont said the transaction had been made “in secret” just before Christmas and confirmed Council’s intention to be a co-applicant for any seawall DA “SOS is aware that WPA celebrated the $100,000 Council contribution in a Christmas email to beachfront property owners,” Lamont said “Many local ratepayers are outraged that their funds were quietly gifted to the seawall DA effort that is being driven by the WPA – a small group of private beachfront property owners “SOS has repeatedly asked Council for updates on seawall planning developments with Council recently suggesting SOS should refer to the WPA “Council’s passive and secretive posture as a seawall co-applicant is alarming as Council “Council failed to make its $100,000 ‘Christmas contribution’ or landowner agreement signing public.” But a Council spokesperson said SOS’s comments are misleading community consultation and review of Council’s legislative responsibility in relation to coastal erosion the Wamberal Beach Terminal Protection Structure Engineering Design Requirements (EDR’s) were developed to assist developers professional engineering designers and Council in the preparation and evaluation of development applications for coastal protection works at Wamberal Beach,” the spokesperson said “The EDRs were adopted by Council in October 2022 and are now considered in the assessment of any development applications for seawall structures at Wamberal Beach Council resolved at that same time that any coastal protection works fronting Council-owned or vested land at the beach access ways and the Wamberal Surf Lifesaving Club also be governed by the EDRs and provision ( be made) for the cost of these works in Council’s Long Term Financial Plan given Council is a landowner and/or has care and control of areas of Wamberal beach and related areas and given that Council has been working to address coastal erosion risk at Wamberal beach through a whole of embayment solution as per the EDR’s Council decided in early 2023 to engage with the same design consultants being used by the consortium of landowners being coordinated by the Wamberal Protection Association Council allocated funds towards the preparation of the development application with the $100,000 in question being Council’s contribution to the development application process for that land that Council owns or has care and control of as was clearly marked in the Invoice regarding that payment between the parties.” Lamont said Council continued to be primarily engaged with the WPA despite a request from the State Government for Council to be more engaged with locals on the seawall issue She said the group had emailed Environment and Planning Director Alice Howe CEO David Farmer and Administrator Rik Hart asking when Council signed the WPA seawall DA landowner agreement and paid $100,000 towards seawall DA costs “Council is aware of the massive public interest in the proposed seawall and should be forthcoming with any seawall updates,” she said “Council has no excuse in not providing an update to the community regarding its $100,000 action to progress the Wamberal Beach seawall “Council has dedicated at least two staff to work with the WPA on the proposed seawall DA including representation on a WPA technical subcommittee yet the broader community has not been allocated comparable resources to address ongoing community concerns regarding the seawall.” recently contacted Wamberal beachfront property owners asking them to join SOS’s efforts to find a better solution for Wamberal Beach some beachfront landowners preferring a non-seawall solution,” Lamont said saying (it) is acting in the best interest of the broader community (but) a growing number of beachfront landowners are opposed to a seawall and the broader community do not want one either.” Lamont said SOS understands that about 65 of 72 beachfront landowners have so far consented to a seawall DA and many of them do not live on the Central Coast “Questions remain as to whether NSW Government has transferred Council the right to develop a seawall along five public land lots along the beach,” she said “SOS is also concerned that some beachfront landowners have said they are being bullied into a seawall “SOS understands the stakes along the beachfront are so high that the WPA has offered seawall payment arrangements to some beachfront landowners who cannot afford their part of the seawall to scrutinise these and other financial arrangements.” SOS will hold a massive no-seawall rally at Wamberal Beach at noon on Sunday The best place for a seawall at Wamberal is NOT on the beach side it’s between the beachfront homes and Ocean View Road That way the sand dune can do it’s natural job and the wall can act as a back up if it is breached I think that Wamberal residents should be pleased that the council is interested in keeping residents safe Forget transparency and open and honest information about any central coast environmental issues with this lot in charge of our ratepayer funds.We need an democratically elected Group of Councillors asap thank you for this article..so what time is the rally. As of today Tuesday Jan 9 we are told it is Sunday 21 January at noon There are other options besides a Seawall that will destroy the beach & cause end effects into both lagoons creating flooding to properties & infrastructure around the lagoons A council under administration should not be doing this Sunday 21/1 at 12 noon beach rally should be a huge community event Reeks of Monty Python’s skit re The PFD and The JPF…build the wall I repeat what I said when I first heard about the proposed Wamberal seawall…..”so council wants to take on nature?” If we work with nature Asbestos has been discovered strewn along Central Coast beaches after erosion unearthed building waste buried in the dunes years after authorities discovered the deadly fibre under a house that formerly belonged to disgraced Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid The Herald can reveal the asbestos has been found after last week's east coast low pummelled the region, forcing evacuations as homes partially collapsed Asbestos and other building waste has been unearthed along Wamberal beach following severe erosion It's opened a fresh chapter in a long-running controversy over Central Coast Council's handling of the buried building waste According to an Environment Protection Authority report the waste was discovered buried in the embankment under 31 Ocean View Drive at Wamberal a lavish holiday home boasting a Turkish steam bath and a colourful history It was owned by adman John Singleton before it shot to notoriety as the headquarters and favoured lunch spot of Mr Obeid's sub-faction known as the 'Terrigals' Mr Obeid told the Herald he is confident there was never any waste buried at the property during his 17-year tenure because it was underpinned by concrete pylons that went "60 feet into the ground" Houses on Ocean View Drive teeter on the brink of the ocean after last week's east coast low The waste is also understood to have been found under neighbouring properties Furious locals have accused the council of burying the waste with sand after promising to have it removed and endangering lives by allowing it to disperse along the shore each time the strip is battered by storms Deadly asbestos is washing up along Wamberal and Terrigal Beaches "The beach is riddled with asbestos," said Pat Aitken of Coastal Residents Incorporated "This is an environmental disaster." has been campaigning for a clean up after encountering a little girl playing with a piece of asbestos in 2018 "For years all that I and others have asked is for the council to come and clean it up .. as any other landholder would be required to do," he said lifeguards and community members were continually encountering fragments of asbestos floating in the water and on the shore The council has insisted the situation is "low risk" Mr Obeid bought the property from Mr Singleton in 1979 and was a keen entertainer of his political allies Mr Obeid sold it to Paul McCloskey for $1 million one of several homes where asbestos and other buried building waste was discovered in 2016 Mr McCloskey said an "entire bathroom floor" was among the building waste discovered in the dunes under his home and adjoining properties in 2016 "I don't know who originally put it in," he said Mr Obeid said any suggestion he was to blame would be "absolute rubbish" A spokesperson for Mr Singleton said he could hardly recall owning the property or who had purchased it from him Former NSW Labor MP Eddie Obeid in December 2016.Credit: Daniel Munoz "He did no renovations or work to it," she said "It was just a little fibro shack." Several residents suggested the waste was historically used as fill in an attempt to shore up the properties against erosion Asbestos is also believed to have been washed into the sea when homes were destroyed in a 1978 storm a remediation report commissioned by council argued "inappropriate materials" needed to be removed from the beach immediately to prevent them being buried again and putting the public at risk The report did not make any findings as to who might have originally buried the waste It was kept confidential until it was obtained by Mr Aitken after a freedom of information battle By April 2017 no action had been taken and Mr Aitken complained to the EPA that asbestos-ridden waste was still exposed between 31 Ocean View Drive and the ocean A council officer initially told the EPA the waste was "legacy waste buried a long time ago" on private property He later clarified it was on public land and said it would be removed "today or tomorrow" Mr Aitken said he "couldn't believe it" as he filmed excavators pushing sand over the top of the waste before all of it had been removed staff said they removed all visible surface material by hand that "potentially" contained asbestos staff placed sand from the surrounding beach around the toe of the embankment using an excavator which is the subject of a short video circulating on the internet to improve public safety adjacent to 31 Ocean View Drive Wamberal," the report said council erected barricades and warning signs "That fell down within a couple of weeks," Mr McCloskey said In 2018 the council conducted air monitoring and found the risk to the public to be low "due to the site and nature of the material" including that it was wet and "in bonded form" who said a child had been using the asbestos like chalk to draw on the pavement A council spokesperson said it was working to remove the debris that had washed up on the beach "as soon as possible" in line with its asbestos management policy The Herald can reveal the asbestos has been found after last week's east coast low pummelled the region It's opened a fresh chapter in a long-running controversy over Central Coast Council's handling of the buried building waste It was owned by adman John Singleton before it shot to notoriety as the headquarters and favoured lunch spot of Mr Obeid's sub-faction known as the 'Terrigals' because it was underpinned by concrete pylons that went \\\"60 feet into the ground\\\" \\\"The beach is riddled with asbestos,\\\" said Pat Aitken of Coastal Residents Incorporated \\\"This is an environmental disaster.\\\" \\\"For years all that I and others have asked is for the council to come and clean it up .. as any other landholder would be required to do,\\\" he said The council has insisted the situation is \\\"low risk\\\" Mr McCloskey said an \\\"entire bathroom floor\\\" was among the building waste discovered in the dunes under his home and adjoining properties in 2016 \\\"I don't know who originally put it in,\\\" he said Mr Obeid said any suggestion he was to blame would be \\\"absolute rubbish\\\" \\\"He did no renovations or work to it,\\\" she said a remediation report commissioned by council argued \\\"inappropriate materials\\\" needed to be removed from the beach immediately to prevent them being buried again and putting the public at risk A council officer initially told the EPA the waste was \\\"legacy waste buried a long time ago\\\" on private property He later clarified it was on public land and said it would be removed \\\"today or tomorrow\\\" Mr Aitken said he \\\"couldn't believe it\\\" as he filmed excavators pushing sand over the top of the waste before all of it had been removed staff said they removed all visible surface material by hand that \\\"potentially\\\" contained asbestos to improve public safety adjacent to 31 Ocean View Drive Wamberal,\\\" the report said \\\"That fell down within a couple of weeks,\\\" Mr McCloskey said In 2018 the council conducted air monitoring and found the risk to the public to be low \\\"due to the site and nature of the material\\\" including that it was wet and \\\"in bonded form\\\" A council spokesperson said it was working to remove the debris that had washed up on the beach \\\"as soon as possible\\\" Telstra is set to upgrade its mobile base station in Wamberal Reservoir by adding additional infrastructure to bring a better 4G user experience and preparation for 5G to the community The improvements will temporarily impact Telstra mobile coverage at various times from February 19 until March 17 The first phase of disruptions will occur from 7am on Monday with the network coverage being restored each day at 5pm There will be full site outage between 7am on Monday with no mobile network coverage during this period This will be followed by sector-by-sector disruptions until Sunday with the network coverage being restored at 5pm each day If all goes to plan and weather permitting residents should notice improvement in Telstra mobile services by March 18 Telstra mobile customers will receive text messages advising of the upcoming work NBN internet services and mobile coverage from other providers will not be impacted Any calls to Triple Zero from a Telstra mobile when the site is off air will automatically be diverted to any working mobile network for connection to emergency services Telstra Regional General Manager Michael Marom said while crews needed to work during daylight for safety they would only switch off the site when necessary and would have it back on as quickly as possible “Where possible we will just be switching off the parts of the tower we are working on “While coverage and capacity will decline during this time we want to keep the amount of time the site is off air to an absolute minimum “There’s never a good time to undertake this sort of work but once it is completed it will mean better mobile services for local residents we heavily invest in improving regional connectivity and this site is another example of our commitment “Over the past seven years to the end of FY23 Telstra invested $11B in our mobile network nationally with $4B of this invested in our regional mobile network.” if residents have access to a Wi-Fi signal at home or at work Telstra encourages residents to activate Wi-Fi calling This is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and allows your mobile to use a Wi-Fi network to make and receive mobile calls To find out more google Telstra Wi-Fi calling or search in the settings icon on your phone While many businesses use the Telstra network for their EFTPOS terminals Telstra does not operate the EFTPOS network; it is operated by financial institutions Many EFTPOS terminals can also be connected using fixed line or Wi-Fi/NBN internet connections Retailers should contact their bank for more information and details on how to switch between these methods to ensure continuous service The roll out of 5G connectivity for the first time in the area means customers with Telstra 5G mobile devices will be able to enjoy a better mobile experience The upgrade also brings added benefits for customers on the Telstra 4G network with more capacity providing better network connectivity and less congestion when it’s busier Wamberal will join more than 4,900 Telstra 5G sites on-air within selected areas of more than four hundred cities and towns across Australia Customers wishing to access 5G on the Telstra network will need a 5G capable device so for some people that may mean upgrading their current device Hundreds of concerned locals have taken to Wamberal Beach today to protest against a potential seawall being built A development application is now on the horizon – and community group ‘Save our Sand’ is urging Central Coast Council to reject it The Wamberal Save Our Sand (SOS) group says the huge storm which hit the area on Friday sandy Wamberal Beach is the best form of coastal protection “SOS inspected the beach on Saturday morning and observed that Friday’s storm surges never reached the properties at the back of the beach because there was an adequate sand buffer,” spokesperson Corinne Lamont said “Locals know sand has accumulated at Wamberal Beach and other NSW beaches over the past year making them wider than they have been in a long time “If Central Coast Council Administrator Rik Hart had inspected the sandy beach on the weekend he would have been convinced to back sand nourishment Lamont said SOS had repeatedly asked Hart to pass a resolution to stop the proposed Wamberal Beach seawall and to instead back sand nourishment for coastal protection The group says the controversial complex matter needs to be dealt with by an elected Council later this year “SOS is very concerned that Council is misleading the community about (its) efforts to investigate sand nourishment as a coastal protection option for Wamberal Beach,” Lamont said “There is no evidence that Council has investigated sand nourishment alone; they have always led with the seawall “Council’s new Wamberal Beach FAQ page suggests that sand nourishment has been dismissed and not investigated as an option for Wamberal Beach because Council has incorrectly assumed mass sand nourishment at Wamberal Beach would be private property protection therefore making offshore sand sources unavailable “NSW legislation and policies do allow for offshore sand recovery from NSW coastal waters for beach nourishment if it can be demonstrated that it is for a broader public benefit “The broad public benefit that mass sand nourishment would provide Wamberal Beach would incidentally also provide private property protection “This is what we saw last weekend – the nice wide sandy beach ensured the waves didn’t reach the houses at the back of the beach.” Lamont said SOS representatives were arranging a date to meet with Minister for Climate Change Penny Sharpe’s senior advisor to discuss sand nourishment as a solution for Wamberal Beach “Rik Hart has confirmed that he will join the meeting should his diary permit,” she said Council has rejected an initial development application lodged by the Wamberal Protection Association (WPA) to build a vertical seawall in the middle section of the beach SOS says Council should reject the application altogether and investigate mass sand nourishment The level of ignorance being shown by SOS and their members is alarming. they have literally no knowledge of the actual proposal Their ongoing objections are simply not based on fact and their assertions that Council “gifted” 100k to the WPA is an outright lie – Council is a land owner of properties affected by the DA they have a duty of care for Wamberal Beach and have been involved in the study of the coastal erosion issue for years Regardless of all of SOS’s cries of “our sands” they still can’t seem to get their head around the fact that the DA is for the wall is within private land for over 95% of it’s length only protruding outside private property where directed by Council planning documents Does SOS get this involved with other DA’s in private land..? Have they even bothered to review a design plan to see what they are arguing against Are they experts in any field related to this proposal The Save Our Sand (SOS) group has accused Central Coast Council Administrator Rik Hart of exaggerating cost estimates for sand nourishment at Wamberal beach The group says coastal engineer Angus Gordon has said the Administrator’s figures are wrong the Administrator inflated sand nourishment costs by more than 10 times have secured sand nourishment for a fraction of the cost Mr Hart quoted ‘rainbowing’ sand onto the beach from a floating vessel,” they said SOS volunteer Mark Lamont said it seemed the Administrator had quoted inflated sand nourishment figures on air to justify Council’s support of a seawall the community does not want Gold Coast Council nourished their surfing beaches for $4.63 per cubic metre and we have Mr Hart telling the community that sand nourishment would cost more than 20 times that SOS also took exception to Hart’s on-air claim that Lamont suggested Wamberal Beach sand nourishment would require 36,000 truck movements “I have never suggested any truck movements to nourish Wamberal Beach with sand,” Lamont said “No-one at SOS is suggesting anything like that federal and local governments for sustainable lower cost sand nourishment delivered by a floating hopper dredge spraying the sand straight onto the beach – zero truck movements “That’s how it is done at many other surf beaches around Australia.” SOS also asked how many concrete truck movements would be required to construct a seawall and how such trucks would impact on local roads “(Council has said) there is currently a lot of sand at Wamberal Beach that they have no immediate plans for sand nourishment and they are waiting for more details regarding a sand nourishment trial at Stockton Beach “Angus Gordon who advised that Council does not need to wait for Stockton Beach findings; hopper dredge based sand nourishment has occurred at many other Australian beaches over many years “A growing number of Wamberal beachfront land owners have expressed interest in sand nourishment as a better solution than a seawall “Council needs to be more informed to better support the community But a Council spokesperson said Gordon had acknowledged that “rainbowing” of sand onto beaches from offshore sources for private coastal protection works is not something that is permitted under NSW law “Council understands that the current trial program at Stockton does not involve private coastal protection works,” they said “Studies undertaken by Manly Hydraulics Laboratory in 2021 found that the current rate of sand replenishment required due to natural recession and erosion of Wamberal Beach is 78,000 cubic metres every 10 years “Their study also found that a vertical seawall located landward of the active beach zone contributes no additional requirements for sand nourishment to Wamberal Beach beyond the 78,000 cubic metres every 10 years that is required due to natural recession and erosion.Council said similar studies undertaken in 2002 by Manly Hydraulics Laboratory found that mass sand nourishment would require an initial supply of 900,000 cubic metres of sand and an additional 200,000 cubic metres every 10 years “With an offshore source of sand not currently available this would require the material to be sourced from onshore and trucked to the site as suggested by Mr Hart,” Council said “That this is both an unpalatable approach and that there are no suitable land-based sources that can supply these volumes of material for beach nourishment are some of the very reasons why mass sand nourishment as a stand-alone solution for Wamberal Beach remains unviable Council has made representations to higher levels of government advocating that sand nourishment (from offshore sources) of areas severely impacted by coastal erosion should be provided to coastal communities there has been no change in the current restrictive regulatory environment “Council remains committed to addressing the current coastal risks at Wamberal Beach through implementation of the actions identified in the Gosford Beaches Coastal Zone Management Plan “These actions were developed in consultation with the community endorsed by the elected Gosford City Council supported by the expert Coastal Panel (chaired by Angus Gordon) Please provide verified business case for sand replenishing and confirming beach front owners will pay and on eve properties sold ongoing future owners will pay Shop owners in the Wamberal shopping centre are advocating for more traffic controls in the Central Coast Council-owned carpark after a car ploughed into the Not Just Cakes bakery just after 9:30am last Friday morning Owner Linda Beasley was not in the store at the time of the incident and was informed of it by a phone call from an employee “There was one shop assistant and one customer in the store at the time and a pastry cook at the back,” she said “I think it happened too quickly for them to have much of a reaction a car has come into the carpark and gone to turn into a car space but kept accelerating Beasley said the extent of the damage was still to be determined by insurers but the front door and the brick wall between the shop and the one adjoining had been damaged “It was really lucky she was still turning the car; if she had straightened up it could have been a lot worse,” she said “It could have come through the glass and right into the shop and someone could have been hurt “The wall will need to be rebuilt and the shopfront will need to be fixed.” Beasley said the insurance company had temporarily boarded up the shopfront so the bakery can continue to trade “I believe a similar thing happened 10 or 11 years ago on the other side of the shop and the BWS next door also had an incident in recent years,” she said “I really think Council needs to put some stoppers or bollards in the carpark.” A staff member at BWS Wamberal confirmed a car had gone through the front of that shop around 18 months ago She said staff had appealed to Council at the time for more safety measures in the carpark Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) responded to the incident last Friday Firefighters evacuated six people from the unit complex above the bakery as a precaution assessing the structure and deeming it safe before allowing residents to return to their homes A Central Coast Council spokesperson said officers had commenced an investigation to identify what options are available to address safety concerns associated with the use of the car park “Consultation with shop owners/operators will be undertaken as part of this investigation,” the spokesperson said Central Coast Council is set to receive $60,000 towards the renewal of the Wamberal Memorial Hall playground thanks to the NSW Government as part of the $37.2M Local Small Commitments Allocation Program “I know that many locals and visitors alike will have memories of this play space going back across generations of their family,” Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said “I am proud that the NSW Government has delivered on our commitment to renew this fantastic community space “This is a wonderful outcome for the Wamberal community and I can’t wait to see many generations of young Coasties enjoy this fantastic community play space.” Duty MLC for Terrigal Mark Buttigieg said play spaces were at the heart of the community a place for local families to come together The Local Small Commitments Allocation Program will enhance local communities and provide $400,000 in benefits to people in each of the 93 NSW electorates It will consist of more than 600 small community projects ranging from capital works to services and programs charitable donations and playground and park upgrades The NSW Government has committed funds to the program which will help small local projects and programs that strengthen communities and provide improvements at a local level For more information on the Local Small Commitments Allocation Program visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/lsca-home Central Coast Council has been awarded close to $1M to help fund emergency coastal protection works at Wamberal Beach following storms which decimated the coastline and saw beachfront homes evacuated in July Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said the NSW Government is working in close partnership with Council to respond to the immediate erosion crisis at Wamberal and develop a long term solution in line with community expectations a number of public and private assets along Ocean View Dr were destabilised,” Hancock said “With Wamberal declared a Significant Open Coast Location I encouraged Council to apply for funding to implement actions in its Coastal Zone Management Plan as a matter of urgency “I am pleased to announce that Council has been awarded $992,501 under the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Grants program “Managing coastal hazards is a priority for this Government and the Coastal and Estuary Grants Program provides funding to councils to address their emergency coastal issues.” Emergency works undertaken at Wamberal included engineering designs for emergency protection measures 2300 tonnes of quarried rock and 1100 tonnes of rock-filled flexible bags on the beach Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal said the coastal erosion in July highlighted the vulnerability of the area and the urgent need for Council to plan and deliver a long term solution “The NSW Government moved swiftly to establish a Taskforce to help Council develop a range of options for community consideration,” Crouch said “While Council is the statutory authority for this location we’ll continue to work with Council to drive a long term solution.” A second Council application for emergency works at the Entrance North was not awarded funding as it does not meet the program’s guidelines For emergency work to be eligible for program funding it needs to be identified in a certified Coastal Zone Management Plan Emergency Action Sub-Plan or Coastal Management Program for the area Nov 19Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Environmental and community groups have slammed a decision by Central Coast Council to forge ahead with seawall options as a solution to ongoing beach erosion at Wamberal has adopted the recommendations of Manly Hydraulics Laboratory with the Draft Wamberal Beach Terminal Protection Structure Engineering Design Requirements on public exhibition until July 27 The requirements address key criteria such as engineering environmental and maintenance requirements of property owners and pave the way for homeowners to lodge development applications for seawall construction said the milestone follows on from the completion of Wamberal Beach Terminal Protection and Sand Nourishment Investigation project which identified preferred designs for the protection works extensive community consultation and consideration of Council’s role in relation to coastal erosion led to the identification of specific criteria for the preferred seawall design,” Howe said “These requirements reflect what the community told us was important in feedback received throughout the three phases of community consultation conducted over the past two years.” said there are a number of properties along Wamberal Beach foreshore that are impacted by beach erosion which need permanent solutions “Property owners are able to seek development consent to undertake work to protect their assets works must not negatively impact beach access neighbouring properties and the health of our coastlines,” he said “Community consultation has been an integral part of the process to identify long-term solutions to this issue and I encourage ongoing community participation now that the draft requirements are on public exhibition “The community will continue to have opportunities to provide comment before any work is undertaken “Any development application for a section of seawall at Wamberal Beach will be placed on public exhibition providing the public with opportunity to comment on the detailed design drawings construction programs and maintenance plans.” The Central Coast Branch of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) however said it was “appalled” at the decision “Seawalls provide a false sense of security to property owners who should not be encouraged to buy uninsurable properties in high-risk locations with increasing sea level rise and storm surges,” a spokesperson said and they severely impact the ecological integrity of the beach and its many processes “We support the implementation of a nature-based system of coastal protections which has many more benefits than a climate destructive concrete wall … manufacturing 1 cubic metre of concrete produces over 180 kilos of carbon dioxide.” The ACF says benefits of implementation of nature-based solutions include the ability of the dunal system to move naturally reduced financial cost of maintenance and ongoing renourishment increased tourism and reduced environmental impact Group secretary Norm Harris said many questions remain unanswered as to why the previous cost benefit analysis was replaced and all options for coastal management were not put on the table this time around “If democratically elected representatives formed the Council genuine representation of the people of the Wamberal and the Greater Central Coast community would have been heard and there would be most likely a different outcome,” he said said he was disappointed because he can’t understand why the revetment walls are to be on private land “The five options previously looked at were vertical structures and that creates problems to my mind “Water is pushed back and takes the sand away which means for a period of time there will be no beach “Why didn’t Council consider the design originally put forward by the former Gosford Council some years ago for a sloping structure which would cause the wave energy to fall back on itself so you don’t have the deep scouring and the sand comes back more quickly Wamberal Save Our Sand (SOS) said the latest development goes against community wishes and the science that shows sea walls destroy beaches  “The fight for our beach is only just beginning,” spokesperson Hugh Naven said “To help protect the beach we will be pushing to enforce the legislation that is supposed to preserve the amenities of the beach and the object of the NSW coastal legislation which is ‘to protect and enhance natural coastal processes and coastal environmental values including natural character biological diversity and ecosystem integrity and resilience’ we will need as many people (as possible) opposing submissions for private seawalls at Wamberal to ensure our beach remains.” the final Design Requirements will be presented to Council for adoption and then used in conjunction with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 Coastal Management Act 2016 and Resilience and Hazards SEPP 2021 during development application assessments You can have your say on the draft Wamberal Beach Terminal Protection Structure Engineering Design Requirements between until July 27 at yourvoiceourcoast.com Those who choose to build on the sand…. Any structural wall on Wamberal Beach is not acceptable The Wamberal Beach Save Our Sand (SOS) group has secured upper house support in NSW Parliament for a new petition opposing a proposed seawall at the beach Abigail Boyd MLC is a Terrigal resident who has followed the seawall issue for years raising concerns about seawall end effects undermining the beach and flooding hundreds of lagoon homes and the environs She stands with Wamberal SOS and thousands of local residents in opposition to a seawall and will speak to the petition in parliament where the matter will be debated on the floor Suggestions of a seawall for the beach have divided the community since they were mooted following massive storm erosion in 2020 will call on the NSW Government to halt the proposed seawall insisting on an independent EIS (Environmental Impact Assessment) of the proposed seawall’s end effects on hundreds of lagoon homes and the lagoon environs The petition will also call for a NSW Government review of Council’s processes regarding the issue and will call on NSW Government to insist that Council properly consult the community and experts regarding alternative adaptive strategies to manage the beach and lagoon environments we will have three weeks to get as many online signatures as we can,” the group’s Facebook page says “Please let your family and friends know the e-petition is coming “Let’s get thousands of signatures and send a message to Parliament and Council that the seawall is not on.” Concerned residents are urged to keep an eye on the Wamberal Beach Save Our Sand Facebook page for details of the petition although Central Coast Council has set up a webpage providing some seawall updates the group says there is still nowhere near enough information It has posed a series of questions to Council staff These include such questions as: will the five state-owned vacant blocks of land along Wamberal Beach be part of the seawall development application will these blocks of land have a seawall constructed on or in front of them and what arrangement as mentioned on the webpage is being negotiated between Council and the state authority regarding a seawall They have also asked for details on what the financial outlay that Council has contributed or will be contributing to engineers surveyors and environment reports and for an update on any development applications regarding the issue The group has also asked if Council is preparing a DA for any land along Wamberal Beach and where sand for nourishment will be sourced and at what cost It also wants to know what actions Council has undertaken or is planning to undertake to consult hundreds of Wamberal and Terrigal lagoon neighbourhood residents who have recently expressed significant objection to the wall Please check that the URL entered is correct or try loading the page again has $10-12m price hopesSam Murden Central Coast fitness guru Daine McDonald has listed his stunning 1,689 sqm Wamberal house 10-12 Ocean View Drive has been brought to market by Prestige Properties Sales Consultant Adrienn Stenner who is touting the home as “the crème-de-la-crème of luxury Coastal living” The property promises opulent interiors spread over two expansive levels whilst entertaining spaces merge with an outdoor kitchen pavilion Fitness guru Daine McDonald has listed this Ocean View Drive property the property was initially sold to Mr McDonald Clean Health Fitness Founder and Managing Director “This double block property has a price guide of $10-$12m There is nothing else like it in Wamberal right now,” Ms Stenner said “I think this private sale will set a new record for the property since it’s across the road from the beach and a buyer can have the flexibility to move in or create a new house on the land entirely.” The property offers five-star resort level amenities including multiple fireplaces MORE: Sydney home earns $18m in just three years ‘You don’t see it’: the Invisible House altering reality Located only 100m away to the beach, the property is incredibly attractive to any prospective buyers looking for a waterfront position. Access to both Wamberal and Terrigal beach also offers a casual stroll to the trendy cafes and restaurants within the area Mr McDonald founded Clean Health back in 2008 and frequently took his family down to the beach and went for ‘group’ walks to Wamberal’s lifestyle hubs The property promises multiple entertainment options for every season and activity Daine McDonald lived in the property with his wife and six kids The entry level also treats visitors with an ensuite bathroom With five living areas encompassing an open plan lounge with a gas fireplace the property holds entertainment options for every season and activity The billiards room is perfect for buyers looking to show off to their guests A recent property record was set in Terrigal with a four-bedroom home selling for $5.5 million MORE: ‘Junk included’: Western Sydney hoarder home shocks at auction ‘Iconic’ beachfront cottages offer rare opportunity ‘Healing dome’ at heart of bizarre Byron Bay retreat third parties have written and supplied the content and we are not responsible for it completeness or reliability of the information nor do we accept any liability or responsibility arising in any way from omissions or errors contained in the content We do not recommend sponsored lenders or loan products and we cannot introduce you to sponsored lenders We strongly recommend that you obtain independent advice before you act on the content realestate.com.au is owned and operated by ASX-listed REA Group Ltd (REA:ASX) © REA Group Ltd. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to our Terms of Use. Five and half thousand tonnes of rock have been placed at Wamberal and North Entrance beaches by Central Coast Council crews during the recent coastal erosion emergency response A major operation has seen the majority of the rocks brought in from Hunter Quarries at Karuah with extra bags to hold them flown in from Japan 1,800 tonnes of large basalt rocks have been placed directly on the beach with 1,720 more tonnes of rock filled bags craned in from Ocean View Dr At North Entrance just over 2,060 tonnes of rock have been placed on the beach between Karagi Reserve beach access and Hargraves St beach access Council CEO Gary Murphy said the response by Council had been successful in temporarily mitigating further erosion despite further rains since as east coast low and high tides created the erosion emergency several weeks ago “The results speak for themselves and show what is possible when you have the best coastal engineers in Australia working with committed crews the best material available and the emergency orders needed to get the job done,” Murphy said “The success of this response will hold us in good stead as we plan further recovery works and a longer-term solution at both locations.” Works are expected to take a further two to three weeks at Wamberal with more four tonne bags being placed this week and sand renourishment and rock armour to continue for the next few weeks Local Recovery Coordinator Lee Shearer said residents of all but one of the 44 properties evacuated between July 16 and 18 had been given the all-clear to return home with only one house still considered to be at risk said the long-term planning phase would now begin with Dr Phil Watson appointed as Chair of the Wamberal Taskforce “The Taskforce’s first meeting was held on Tuesday and we’re off to a flying start,” Crouch said the NSW Government is requesting that Council employ a dedicated Project Manager to provide day-to-day oversight and ensure planning for the long-term solution remains on track “Building a sea wall is absolutely essential to protect the hundreds of millions of dollars of public and private assets along Ocean View Dr.” Following the cessation of Ms Shearer’s role as the Local Recovery Coordinator Council has established a Local Recovery Coordination Committee to oversee the remaining emergency works and address any residual issues Judging by the number of print ads in our local papers of late the Liberals seem to be outspending Labor three to one in the campaign to win the seat… A newly launched group of Wamberal Beach waterfront owners is calling for a pause on proceeding with a seawall as a permanent fix against ongoing erosion Property owner Paul Greenburg has formed Owners Against the Wall and is urging other owners of waterfront homes at Wamberal and Terrigal to take a closer look at other options “I am new to the argument – I bought my home about 15 months ago,” Greenburg said “But I am doing my due diligence and I suppose you could say I have broken ranks with some of the other owners “I have had lots of off-the-record conversations with other home owners who would like to see other options investigated and the group “I plan on doing a letterbox drop this week and am hoping others will join us.” As Central Coast Council pushes ahead with a preferred seawall option Greenburg said he was not convinced a seawall was the best option particularly in light of a recent situation at Collaroy where the beach has been eroded since the construction of a 7m seawall “This is a hugely complex issue and there is a lot of cross-wind,” he said “But I am concerned the process to date has not been very transparent and I say let’s put a pause on the wall Let’s put any plans to push through DAs for any sort of wall on hold and let’s hear from the scientists “There are many community groups opposed to a wall and the community has to win out here So let’s all take a deep breath and explore all the options.” Greenburg said he had met with owners in favour of a seawall and with the Save Our Sand Group “I have explored both sides of the argument and have found the Save Our Sand group to be more open to alternatives,” he said “Maybe there’s a compromise somewhere in the middle “I will be agitating for a public meeting where all parties can gather “There is a public perception that all waterfront owners are in favour of a wall but post-Collaroy we are seeing some shift in sentiment.” Wamberal Beach SOS (Save Our Sand) and Surfrider Central Coast said they were excited to partner with the new group “The group will be working closely with our organisation as we attempt to gain proper representation for community homeowners and experts that continue to be ignored,” SOS spokesperson “The establishment of this group and its growing number of members represent a turning point in the process to find a solution to the erosion crisis at Wamberal Central Coast Council is set on a wall as the preferred option Our group hopes the introduction of Owners Against the Wall to the conversation may force Council to reconsider its position “The growing opposition to the wall within the Wamberal community depicts the need to reconsider and restart consultation to ensure a representative safe and effective solution is introduced.” Sea wall might buy a couple more decades but the fact remains coastlines retreat that’s why sea cliffs exist…natural process of erosion just like valleys get deeper as the river keeps eroding the only option to stop the coastline retreating is for sea levels to fall… oh they are rising i forgot better to have long term plans to abandon waterfront coastlines because they are all doomed