Pittwater Council Annual Report - Pittwater Council - NSW ...

Section 2 - Statutory StatementsEnvironmental Programs Summary - Section 428 Part 2c (i-xi)SHOROC State of Environment ReportThe SHOROC region comprises the local government areas of Manly, Mosman, Pittwater and Warringah.SHOROC was launched in August 1994 and became formally incorporated in September 2006 therebyincreasing its effectiveness to advocate on behalf of the region. Its mission is to value the individuality ofmember councils while co-operating to achieve a better outcome for the community across the entire region,through networking, resource sharing, shared projects, and lobbying. Progress on projects managed by thevarious SHOROC Steering Committees is reported to the Board which meets on a regular basis.SHOROC continues to maintain and improve co-operation and resource sharing between member councilsto advocate effectively on social, economic, cultural and environmental issues and to manage sustainablegrowth so as to protect the environment and lifestyle of our local communities. SHOROC continues toconsider environmental and sustainability matters when undertaking cooperative activities, and is in theprocess of incorporating sustainability into the framework of the proposed regional strategy to ensure thatSHOROC and individual member councils are committed to sustainability outcomes in the future.A regional approach to SoE reporting has been adopted to enable the community and SHOROC to gain abetter understanding of the state of the environment, in a regional context.In this section, regional approaches are introduced and then followed by Pittwater based programs.i) LandRegional pressures on our Land and CoastlineKey pressures on the condition of the land and coastline in the region include urban development, soilcontamination, land degradation, vegetation clearing, coastal hazards such as storm damage, alteredhabitats, invasive species and bushfire.There are also a number of environmentally sensitive landscapes in the SHOROC region that constrain landuse and may increase the impact of existing pressures. For example, the region has areas with high landslippotential, relatively unstable and highly erodible soils, potential acid sulphate soils, and lands subject toflooding or coastal erosion. Climate change is anticipated to become a further significant pressure withparticular implications for the coastline, including loss of beaches, bushland and foreshore access throughincreased storm activity and sea level rise, and increased erosion activity and cliff instability.Regional response to land and coastline IssuesLand and coastline issues were addressed as part of the SHOROC SoE community consultation meetingheld on 6 August 2009. Participants in the consultation were asked to identify priority issues of concern tothem relating to land and coastline, and to work together to make recommendations for addressing theseissues. The priority land and coastline issues and recommendations are identified below:IssueSea level rise – effects/impacts on both public andprivate landLicensing (liquor licensing) ofsurf clubs – concern will theybecome ‘surf pubs’?Retaining and improvingaccess to safe horse-ridingtrails (concern about NationalPark closures forcing ridersonto highly trafficked Councilroads)Impact on water quality,seagrasses and biodiversityfrom stormwater runoff.Protection of seagrass as acritical marine habitatPittwater Programs - LandRecommendationDevelopment Control Plan- Amendment 5• Develop and implement strategies/plans to address impacts of sea levelrise and protect public/private property• Enforce a foreshore building line, and• Ensure appropriate seawalls are in place.• SHOROC to lobby State Government to put restrictions on the licensinglaws• Reopen riding trails• Construct greater linkages between trails• Undertake risk assessment and works to ensure trails are safe for horseriders/horses, and• Develop a horse-riding policy in association with horse-riders/clubs.• Undertake frequent stormwater maintenance• Develop a policy restricting stormwater entering the waterways frompublic/private property• Increase education programs on stormwater runoff and the marineenvironment• Develop an enforcement program – delivered by Council RangersThe Pittwater 21 Development Control Plan (DCP) sets the development standards, controls and regulationsthat apply when carrying out development or building work within Pittwater. It supports Pittwater LocalEnvironment Plan (1993) which regulates uses that are permissible on the land.33