Three Council projects focus on Noosa River

Council is taking a holistic view of managing one of the Noosa Shire’s greatest assets – the Noosa River.

Staff are working on three projects, which, combined, will help preserve the river’s social, economic and environmental benefits for future generations.

Council will call for community input on the Noosa River Plan, Noosaville Foreshore Land Use Master Plan and the Climate Change Adaptation Plan in the first quarter of 2018.

Protecting water quality, and better managing activities both on-water and along the foreshore, are among the goals. So too is building resilience to climate change impacts.

“The Noosa River Plan is one of the three projects we’ll be seeking community views on,” Council’s Environment and Sustainable Development Director Kim Rawlings said.

“It heralds in a new era of catchment management.

“Consultation carried out during a six-month community jury held on the topic in 2015 has helped shape the draft Noosa River Plan, together with further research and community input into the original Plan.

“We’d like to hear what the community thinks about the draft Plan, whether anything is missing and what the main priorities for managing the river should be,” Ms Rawlings said.

In addition to considering what happens on and in the river, Council also has its eyes on the foreshore.

The draft Noosaville Foreshore Land Use Master Plan was developed with significant community input gathered last year.

The clear sentiment from that feedback was that the plan should protect the foreshore’s open spaces for low-key recreational enjoyment by the public.

Climate change, too, may have implications for the river, coastal areas, as well as other parts of the shire. Whilst it covers the whole shire, the Climate Change Adaptation Plan will have considerable focus on the river and its catchment.

“It’s important that we understand how the natural hazards we already face here in Noosa could be exacerbated by a changing climate, so that ultimately, we can work out which ways Council and the community might respond.

“As we develop the Climate Change Adaptation Plan we’ll be considering how various coastal flooding and erosion scenarios may affect different sections of the community, and we’ll be calling for suggestions as to how we might reduce these risks.”

Council will seek feedback from the community on all of these significant projects early this year.

To have a say as each project opens for consultation, and for more information on all three projects, visit Council's YourSay Noosa website or phone Council on (07) 5329 6500.

12 January 2018