Gwandalan State Significant Site Listing - Rio Tinto Coal Australia

THE SUITABILITY OF THE SITE
Figure 3 – Excerpt from the Lower Hunter Regional Conservation Plan showing proposed New Conservation Reserves
3.6 NSW Coastal Policy 1997
The NSW Coastal Policy aims to guide the future management and planning of the coastal zone. The
coastal zone is identified under the Coastal Protection Act 1979 and includes the land subject to the
proposed Concept Plan. The relevant considerations of the Policy are addressed in the Concept Plan
Environmental Assessment. These considerations relate to the range of objectives which underpin the
long term goals of the Policy.
The NSW Coastal Policy 1997 is based on four principles of ESD contained in the Intergenerational
Agreement on the Environment (IGAE) signed in 1992. These principles have been addressed above.
Gwandalan is generally characterised by a traditional low density settlement pattern predominately
containing detached housing.
Public access along the Lake Macquarie foreshore is currently provided for the majority of the existing
village of Gwandalan.
Importantly, public foreshore access is proposed along the lake foreshore as part of the development
proposal and conservation land dedications. This is entirely in accordance with the key actions of the
NSW Coastal Policy to acquire and reserve coastal land with high conservation values for public
purposes. Furthermore, the 205.75ha of Coal & Allied land proposed to be dedicated for conservation
is entirely in accordance with the key actions of the NSW Coastal Policy to increase the opportunities
for public access to coastal foreshore areas.
In addition, the Concept Plan protects sensitive lake foreshore areas by ensuring that the development
does not contribute to lake edge erosion by providing an appropriate average setback of 100m to the
lake foreshore. This setback also protects Aboriginal cultural heritage which is a key principle
underlying the NSW Coastal Policy.
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Gwandalan SSS Listing_November 2010