Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy

Redland City Council has today adopted its Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS), a comprehensive, long-term, coastal hazard management plan.

The CHAS is a city-wide strategy to protect the city’s coastline and islands and includes recommended actions to help Council and other stakeholders, including property owners, adapt to coastal hazards such as erosion, storm tide inundation and sea level rise up to the year 2100.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams, who chaired the project’s steering committee, said the adoption of the CHAS was a great achievement for both Council and the Redlands Coast community.

“Today, we reached a key milestone in protecting Redlands Coast against coastal hazards,” she said.

“The CHAS assessed the vulnerability of infrastructure, assets and property to coastal hazards and identified a range of city-wide actions and adaptation responses to assist Council and other stakeholders, including property owners, utility providers, local businesses, and community organisations now and into the future.

“The strategy will help us implement cost-effective mitigation measures, manage development and growth, budget for higher costs, collaborate regionally and seek funding opportunities.

“I’d like to thank the community and external advisory group for being a part of this journey and providing feedback into several of the project’s phases and the draft strategy.”

Cr Williams said the CHAS outlined where coastal protection infrastructure and management strategies would be required, as well as the timing and triggers for these interventions.

“The CHAS recommends a range of actions to enhance Redlands Coast’s adaptive capacity by gathering and sharing information that in turn identifies how infrastructure and assets may need to be modified in response to emerging hazards,” she said.

“The next steps for Council include embedding the consideration of coastal hazard risks and adaptation actions into our planning practices and processes, planning and delivering coastal protection works and initiatives based on an improved understanding of risks and impacts and appropriate adaptation responses and timeframes, and engaging utility and service providers to assist them in adapting their infrastructure and assets to coastal hazards, to the benefit of the community.

“The recommended adaption actions will be continually informed by community input and ideas, new knowledge, and monitoring the effectiveness of actions, and I encourage everyone to visit Council’s online project page to view the final CHAS and look through the online resources.”

Council’s CHAS has been developed in line with and is partly funded through the Local Government Association of Queensland’s QCoast2100 program.

Redland City Council has completed the last phase of its Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS), bringing it one step closer to finalising the comprehensive long-term climate management plan.

The CHAS is a city-wide strategy for the protection of the city’s coastline and islands and includes recommended actions to help Council and property owners adapt to coastal hazards up to the year 2100.

Mayor Karen Williams, who chairs the project's steering committee, said completion of the strategy’s final phase (phase eight) was a great accomplishment.

“There are still a couple of milestones to be achieved before the project is finalised,” she said.

“Endorsement will be sought from the Local Government Association of Queensland, followed by Council’s review prior to adoption, expected to take place in the next few months.

“Once adopted by Council, the final CHAS will be available on Council’s website.”

The strategy assesses the vulnerability of infrastructure, assets and property to coastal hazards such as coastal erosion, storm tide inundation and sea level rises, identifies a range of adaptation actions and determines costs, priorities and timeframes for their implementation.

The final report brings together an analysis of last year’s community feedback on the draft CHAS, findings from earlier phases, and a summary of the strategy’s implementation plan.

Cr Williams thanked the Redlands Coast community for providing input into the draft strategy, which helped finalise phase eight of the project.

“Consultation throughout the development of the draft CHAS attracted more than 7900 visits to the project’s Your Say web page and 419 people who were actively engaged,” she said.

“Community consultation showed the majority of respondents felt comfortable with the proposed strategy and gave the community the opportunity to present some further ideas for Council’s consideration.”

Community consultation on the draft CHAS occurred in November 2020 and the final report was endorsed by the CHAS steering committee and technical working group in mid-February 2021.

Submissions on Council's draft Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy is now closed.

Council will now commence a review of the feedback and incorporate it in the final CHAS, where possible.

Future project updates will be posted on this page.

To download the draft strategy, click here.

Redland City Council has completed its draft Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS).

The CHAS is a city-wide strategy for the protection of our coastline and islands comprising of a range of initiatives to help Council and property owners adapt to coastal hazards, including storm tide inundation, sea level rise, and coastal erosion, now and into the future.

Development of the CHAS has been informed by technical assessments and engagement activities with stakeholders and the community from 2018 to 2020.

Location-specific adaptation actions are set out in pathways from present-day to 2100 for each of the 16 coastal localities across Redlands Coast. These actions are informed by the changing risk profile, economic analysis, and broader objectives for management.

Examples of adaptation actions include:

• City-wide environmental stewardship programs, including vegetation enhancement for important mangrove areas and dune systems
• Enhancing community resilience and adaptative capacity
• Monitoring programs to inform future adaptation planning
• Informing infrastructure upgrades and programs
• Establishing collaborative research partnerships
• Updating design guidelines for key infrastructure
• Implementing Shoreline Erosion Management Plans
• Reviewing opportunities to improve drainage networks
• Reviewing funding models and mechanisms for shared public and private works

Adaptation pathways will be continually informed by community input and ideas, new knowledge, and monitoring the effectiveness of actions.

The draft CHAS is out for public consultation from 19 November to 18 December 2020. To view the document click here and to make a submission click on the 'Make a submission' tab on this page.

Redland City Council is inviting community members to have their say on its draft Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS) after the project’s consultation phase was endorsed at today’s Council meeting.

The CHAS is a city-wide strategy for the city’s coastline and islands that will assess the vulnerability of infrastructure, assets, and property to coastal hazards such as coastal erosion, storm tide inundation, and sea level rise.

The strategy also recommends actions for Council and property owners to adapt to the challenges up to the years 2070 and 2100.

Mayor Karen Williams, who also chairs the project’s steering committee, said this consultation period was an essential step in finalising Council’s long-term, comprehensive, climate adaptation plan.

“After years of extensive coastal studies and investigations to determine the risk of existing and future coastal hazard impacts on Redlands Coast, Council’s draft CHAS is ready to be reviewed by our community,” she said.

“As a city of islands with approximately 335km of coastline, it is vital that we do this work to assess the vulnerabilities and risks posed by potential changes to our coastline, and determine the best ways to manage our public areas and assets.

“The draft strategy considers land and assets that may be impacted by coastal hazards.”

Cr Williams said the draft CHAS had been developed in line with the Queensland Government and the Local Government Association of Queensland’s QCoast2100 program, with Redland City Council being one of more than 30 coastal councils in Queensland doing this planning.

“Ultimately, the CHAS will help us implement cost-effective mitigation measures, plan for development and growth, budget for higher costs, collaborate regionally, and seek investment opportunities,” she said.

“Now we want to receive the community’s feedback about the draft strategy.”

Cr Williams said that due to COVID-safe requirements, community workshops on the draft strategy would not be held, with community consultation to take place online via the project’s page on Council’s Your Say website.

“It is important that we all work together to help keep everyone safe during these times, and people can visit Council’s Your Say page for a copy of the draft strategy and make a submission on it,” she said.

“I urge all community members to participate in this important project to help protect the future of Redlands Coast.”

The CHAS is scheduled for completion in April 2021 following a review of community feedback and Council’s adoption of the strategy.

Consultation starts on Thursday 19 November 2020 and closes on Friday 18 December 2020.

Council's Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS) is underway and due for completion in early-2021. However, before the CHAS is finalised, Council wants to hear what you think about its long-term comprehensive plan. The plan will assess the vulnerability of infrastructure, assets, and property to coastal hazards, and recommend actions to help adapt and mitigate these risks.

Council will present the Draft CHAS for four-weeks of community consultation in November 2020. More details about this engagement phase, and how to submit feedback on the strategy, will be announced soon.

In the meantime, be sure to read the new September 2020 Project Update fact sheet available in the 'Documents and Fact Sheets' section of this page. The fact sheet provides information on the different adaptation options the CHAS could identify, its development to date, and a brief summary of the community survey results.

Stay tuned for future announcements.

The CHAS Phase 6 'Our Coastal Values and Experiences Survey' closed at midnight on Friday 24 July 2020.

Thank you to everyone who provided their feedback to Council.

There will be further opportunities for community consultation in the coming months as the project team continues to seek feedback on the CHAS.

Stay tuned!

June 2020

Redland City Council is inviting community members to provide input into Phase 6 of its Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy.

A city-wide strategy for the protection of the city’s coastline, including islands and inland rivers and creeks; the project will assess the vulnerability of infrastructure, assets and property to coastal hazards, and recommend actions to help adapt and manage these risks.

As part of the project’s next phase, Council is conducting an online survey seeking feedback from community members on what they value most about Redlands Coast, plus their understanding and any experiences of coastal hazards.

Mayor Karen Williams, who is also chairperson of the project’s steering committee, said the next phase involved identifying options that would help Redlands Coast adapt to, and be protected from, potential hazards such as coastal erosion, storm tide inundation, and sea level rise to the years 2070 and 2100.

“I’m very proud of this project and I’m looking forward to its completion later this year,” Cr Williams said.

“Council and project stakeholders have worked hard in developing the Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy, and this next phase calls for the community to provide invaluable input to help inform the strategy’s recommended actions.

“Redlands Coast residents should feel confident knowing Council will have a plan in place to help protect our coastal lifestyle, Indigenous cultural heritage, and to guide the adaptation of private property and public infrastructure.”

Development of the strategy is overseen by the project’s steering committee, and is developed in consultation with the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, key asset owners and stakeholder bodies, and the wider Redlands Coast community.

Phase 3 and 4 have been completed, reviewed and accepted by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ). These phases of the project focused on identifying areas exposed to current and future coastal hazards and identifying assets that will potentially be impacted by these hazards. The project's Technical Working Group and Steering Committee both provided valuable input in refining this work.

In February 2020, Phase 5 of the strategy was submitted for review and approval to the LGAQ. This phase involved estimating the level of risk posed to key assets or locations that could be impacted by coastal hazards – considering the likelihood and the consequence of potential impacts.

The project's remaining phases (Phase 6-8) has been awarded to coastal consulting organisation, Alluvium.

Work has now begun on Phase 6 in which a range of potential adaptation options will be identified to manage the risk, coastal hazards pose, to a wide range of coastal assets and values.

The full range of options will be evaluated and analysed in Phase 7 later this year using social, environmental and economic criteria to help Council and other stakeholders to prepare for and make decisions on how they can respond to coastal hazards.

On Tuesday 23 July, the CHAS steering committee meeting was held. Consultants presented the reports for phases three and four of the strategy that looked at identifying the hazards and assets at risk, respectively. Council and the Local Government Association of Queensland are currently examining the reports.

The State is also set to review the revised Erosion Prone Area (EPA) mapping. The EPA will replace the current State mapping.