Description: Development of new domestic waterfront structures such as private jetties, pontoons and boat ramps is regulated to minimise the impacts to waterways associated with their construction and use. Landowner’s Consent from Crown Lands is needed before development applications for domestic waterfront structures can be lodged with local government. The suitability of the foreshore for Land Owner’s Consent for new waterfront structures has been assessed against relevant legislation and policy. The resulting assessment outcomes have been mapped using a three tier ‘traffic light’ system showing suitable locations for Landowner’s Consent, and why. Green shows suitable locations, orange shows locations where further site-specific assessment is required to determine suitability, and red shows locations deemed unsuitable. This data was captured under the Domestic Waterfront Structures Landowner’s Consent Strategies; an output of Initiative 2 of the Marine Estate Management Strategy. Initiative 2 aims to protect coastal and marine habitats and associated species and enhance the health of the marine estate by improving the design, quality and ongoing management of foreshore development, use and waterway infrastructure. The current extent includes the Brunswick River and Richmond River systems.MAPPING FORESHORE SUITABILITY FOR DOMESTIC STRUCTURE DEVELOPMENTWaterfront lots were identified by combining water features (NSW Department of Customer Service, Spatial Services) and extracting features from the NSW Cadastre (NSW DCS, SS) which touch the boundary of tidal water features. Waterfront lots upstream of estuarine tidal limits are omitted. Classes used in assessment include lot, roads, railway corridors, national park reserves, and state forests. Features which return a blank under controlling authority name are manually assessed against the above classes. Canal estates are assessed, however irrigation, agricultural or urban drains are not.Foreshore lots were given a colour based on controlling authority. Freehold lots were categorised as green and public lots as red. Freehold foreshore lots are subject to further assessment criteria identified in the Domestic Waterfront Structures Land Owner’s Consent Strategy, with lots split and classified based on proximity to environmentally sensitive areas (1-3, see below), commercial fishing and aquaculture areas (4, see below), and navigational hazards (5, see below). 1) Marine Parks. Freehold foreshore lots within a sanctuary zone were categorised as red. Freehold foreshore lots within a habitat protection zone, general use zone or special purpose zone were categorised orange.2) Freehold foreshore lots within State Environmental Planning Policy (Coastal Management) 2018 Coastal wetland or littoral rainforest are categorised red. Freehold foreshore lots within the Proximity area of coastal wetland or littoral rainforest were categorised orange. 3) Freehold foreshore lots adjacent to seagrass habitat (including 5 metre buffer) were categorised as red. Freehold foreshore lots adjacent to mangrove and saltmarsh (including 5m buffer), oyster reef, and Marine Vegetation Strategy Priority Areas were categorised orange. Data for these features is held by DPI Fisheries.4) Freehold foreshore lots adjacent to oyster aquaculture determined by mapped Priority Oyster Aquaculture Areas (including 50m buffer) in the DPI Fisheries Oyster Industry Sustainable Aquaculture Strategy, were categorised red. Freehold foreshore lots adjacent to important commercial fishing areas, determined via consultation with local fishers and their representative bodies, were categorised orange. 5) Stretches of freehold foreshore deemed hazardous to boating activity if development were to take place were assessed by Transport for NSW and categorised orange. Lot classifications were reviewed by the relevant Local Government Authority and Marine Estate Management Strategy partner agencies Crown Lands, DPIE Planning and Assessment, and Transport for NSW. Shoreline features are designed to be indicative of a lot boundary. Positional accuracy is reliant on the original data source. NSW Cadastre extraction dates:Richmond River – 09th November 2020Brunswick River – 24th November 2020Metadata date: 08 June 2021 (2021-06-08)
Copyright Text: Contact organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
Contact position: Marcus Riches, Program Leader (Coastal Systems)
Postal address: Port Stephens Research Centre
Postal address: Private Bag 1
Locality: Nelson Bay
State: NSW
Country: Australia
Postcode: 2315
Telephone: 1300 550 474
Electronic mail address: fisheries.data@dpi.nsw.gov.au