four mile beach revegetation project status report ... · “re-vegetation site coconut removal...

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Agenda – Ordinary Meeting 11 April 2012 - #3463670

ORDINARY MEETING

11 APRIL 2012

18

FOUR MILE BEACH REVEGETATION PROJECT STATUS REPORT – DIVISION 10 L. Kirchner : 1/3/87-08: #3529315v3

RECOMMENDATION:

That Council:

Review the Douglas Shire Council Coconut Management Plan and commence the process of incorporating its principles into a Cairns Regional Council Policy.

Endorse mulching the subject site to reduce weed growth. Prepare a further report to Council detailing the proposed site revegetation

plan.

INTRODUCTION: The subject site (Lot 14 on SP160319) is a Reserve for Beach Protection and Coastal Management purposes managed by Council on the State’s behalf. It is adjacent to Four Mile Park and the Esplanade on the southern end of Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas. The Reserve is positioned between the foreshore and private residences that form part of The Beach Front (The Sands), Port Douglas. In 2003 the adjoining land was the subject of a Development Approval which recognised that there was an area of private freehold which abutted an area of Reserve. Since that time the legislation relating to the management of the Reserve has strengthened significantly. The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) has classified the Reserve as of “High Ecological Significance” in the Queensland Coastal Plan and in the FNQ 2031 Regional Plan as “Terrestrial Area of High Significance”. The Reserve is also classified as being within the State-declared Erosion Prone area due to storm impact and long term trends of sediment loss and channel migration. (See attached maps). Council has an obligation as the Trustee to protect, manage and enhance these values. A revegetation plan needs to be prepared in accordance with these environmental values with a key objective of providing protection from the impacts of storm surge. Council’s Environmental Officer has advised that the removed coconut palms were approximately 30-55 years old and it is likely that initial plantings were undertaken in the 1950s.

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BACKGROUND: In 2002, the caravan park adjacent to Lot 14 was subdivided into what is now The Beach Front (The Sands), Port Douglas. One of the Douglas Shire development permit conditions was to ensure public access to the area, undertake the removal of exotic plants and undertake revegetation of Lot 14 within two years of the sub-division approval. After this time, management of Lot 14 would revert to Douglas Shire Council. Works were performed however they were in the form of landscaping rather than revegetation. There was also reported illegal clearing / thinning of native vegetation including mature Casuarinas and Callaphyllums. Gardening staff employed by the Body Corporate continued to maintain the area in keeping with the landscaping within their property. In 2010, a Beach Front (The Sands) development property owner requested from Council a change to the original development permit conditions seeking a continuation of the Body Corporate management of this site. This request was declined by Council in March 2011. In 2011, Council asked that the Body Corporate take action to remove fencing so that the public could access the Reserve. This was one of the outstanding development permit conditions as the fence was prohibiting public access to the Reserve. Since amalgamation, officers have continued to meet with the Body Corporate representatives to explain Council’s intentions for the management of the Reserve and the impact of changing legislation on the desired environment outcomes to be achieved. As part of the site rehabilitation planning process, an opportunity was identified to also revegetate the dune area between the Reserve and foreshore, which included the area where the coconut palms were located.

COMMENT:

During 2011, site preparation works were undertaken including the removal of weeds such as Singapore Daisy prior to commencement of revegetation works. The revegetation plan consisted of removing approximately 50 coconut palms and replanting the site with 3,000 native plants. Removal of the palms is critical to the success of the revegetation plan as the density of the palms was such that any understorey species could not benefit from solar nutrition or rainfall. In addition, large palm fronds or coconuts falling on the new plants could damage them and significantly hamper their chance of survival and growth. In revegetation exercises of this nature the initial planting numbers appear large but this is to allow for some natural attrition. One of the considerations given to the timing of the revegetation works was the impact on the tourism sector and environmental conditions. The coconut removal and replanting was therefore scheduled to be undertaken during the wet season between late January and late March 2012, as this is a low tourism period and the wet conditions would enhance planting growth. Based on the revegetation project undertaken at Rocky Point, it would be expected that within twelve months the new plantings will have a significant positive visual impact.

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CONSIDERATIONS: Corporate and Operational Plans: The proposed rehabilitation of this public open space is in accordance with the Corporate Plan goal 1 - Caring for the Environment. Statutory: In preparing this report consideration was given to the legislative requirements under the Local Government Act 2009, Queensland Coastal Plan, FNQ2031 Regional Plan, Nature Conservation Act 1992, Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995, Vegetation Management Act 1999 and the Wet Tropics Coast Regional Coastal Management Plan 2003 and Sustainable Planning Act 2009. Policy: It has now been brought to officer’s attention that in 2004 Douglas Shire Council adopted the Douglas Shire Council Coconut Management Plan. It appears that this Plan had two primary purposes:

A policy position on coconut palms on both public and private land, with respect to liability issues and maintenance.

An operational guide in relation to their removal or management (de-nutting). However, this document appears to have had very little visibility in the former Douglas Shire Council. As a result, when the policy review was undertaken post amalgamation, this Management Plan was not tabled. A search of Douglas Shire Council records has failed to reveal whether consideration was ever given to including this Plan as a part of the planning scheme for Douglas. Recent strategic planning activities within the Port Douglas area have identified a community connection with coconut palms and the tropical ambience that they create. It is estimated that there are over 4000 coconut palms generally in the Port Douglas footprint. It is therefore appropriate that Council officers now review this Management Plan with the intention of developing a plan to manage all coconut palms in the region. Financial and Risk: The proposed review of the Douglas Shire Council Coconut Management Plan will need to consider related legislative changes such as the Queensland Coastal Management Plan and community views.

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Sustainability:

The scorecard assessment for this revegetation project shows a positive impact in terms of water savings, use of native materials, reduction of overland stormwater flows, habitat protection, and erosion protection.

CONSULTATION:

GENERAL COMMUNITY: Community engagement on the revegetation of this Reserve commenced at the time of lodgement of the sub-division application in 2002 and the subsequent planning approval and associated conditions. The community engagement strategy for the revegetation of this Reserve included the preparation of press releases and information briefings to the local media, including the Port Douglas and Mossman Gazette. Newspaper articles informing the community of the plans appeared in the 23 February and 1 March editions of the Gazette. Two radio interviews on Radio Port Douglas also occurred on Friday 24 and Tuesday 28 February. On the 1 March a sign was erected within the Reserve stating:

“Re-vegetation site coconut removal works in progress to facilitate the rehabilitation of foreshore vegetation. 3,000 native coastal species will be planted in this area. For more information go to Council’s website www.cairns.qld.gov.au”

On the same day the second article was published in the Port Douglas and Mossman Gazette providing an update on the revegetation program and explaining that the delay in removing the palms was due to the wet weather. The article advised the local community that this work would commence once weather conditions improved.

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ADJOINING LANDOWNERS: Since amalgamation, staff have met on a number of occasions with body corporate representatives who sought to have the area retained as largely “grassed / low level planting” so that the sea breezes and views were not impeded. Officers have explained the environmental merits of the proposed revegetation plan which seeks to return the Reserve to its natural state and in particular, that some coconut palms needed to be removed in order to enable revegetation of the lower vegetation strata to occur. In 2011, a request was received from the Body Corporate for approval to take over management of this Reserve. Given the environmental classification of this Reserve by the State Government, it is important that management is retained by Council so that these environmental values can be protected and enhanced. On 5 March, officers met on site with the adjoining landowners as the actual palms to be removed had been marked. Officers confirmed which palms were to be retained, consisting of three informal rows adjacent to the beach to ensure that the “tropical experience / landscape” was retained for the local community’s benefit. FILM INDUSTRY: There has been an increasing film industry interest in Port as exhibited by a number of projects in Port Douglas in recent times. Film is considered a potential growth industry adding greatly to the economic sustainability of the town. Specific consultation was conducted with a prominent film industry location manager who was in Port Dougas at the time, to avoid any detrimental impacts on future film projects. As a result, the revegetation plan was modified to retain extra coconut palms at the entrance area.

OPTIONS:

Option 1 That Council:


Endorse mulching the subject site to reduce weed growth. Prepare a further report to Council detailing the proposed site revegetation plan.

Option 2 That Council:

Endorses the environmental principles that have been incorporated into the development of this revegetation plan and approves the completion of works.

Provides further briefings to the media in relation to the revegetation plans’ intent and purpose.


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Option 3 That Council

Request Officers to replant coconut palms. Review the Douglas Shire Council Coconut Management Plan and commence

the process of incorporating its principles into a Cairns Regional Council Policy. Option 4 That Council:

Ceases any revegetation works within the Reserve and the site be maintained as a grassed area.

CONCLUSION:

A review of the Douglas Shire Council Coconut Management Plan will establish a policy position for Cairns Regional Council to manage associated issues across the region.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment A: Site Map Attachment B: State Coastal Plan Areas of Ecological Significance Attachment C: Coastal Hazard Areas Map Erosion Prone Area Attachment D: Coastal Hazard Areas Map Storm Tidal Inundation Area Attachment E: Before and after photographs of subject site Attachment F: Coconut removal area plan Linda Kirchner General Manager Corporate Services

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Attachment A: Site Map

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Attachment B: State Coastal Plan Areas of Ecological Significance

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Attachment C: Coastal Hazard Areas Map Erosion Prone Area

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Attachment D:

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Attachment E: Before and after photographs of subject site

28 Feb 2012

7 Mar 2012

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28 Feb 2012

7 Mar 2012

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Attachment F.: Coconut removal area plan

four mile beach revegetation project status report ... · “re-vegetation site coconut removal...

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