Council completes final phase of Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy

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.