Eurobodalla Shire Council has been accused of using coastal management policies to achieve “appalling theft of people’s properties.”
The President of the Eurobodalla Coast Alliance Inc, Russell Schneider AM, made the accusation while addressing the Council on Tuesday (February27).
He said ECA had been provided with a development approval dated September 2013 which provided that if four high tides in a year affected the property “the development and all associated structures must be removed and the land form returned to its predevelopment (natural form) state and suitably vegetated to the satisfaction of Council.”
Owners were also required to include a covenant in the title to their land advising of the Council requirement and the owner would have to meet the cost.
“This amounts to appalling theft of people’s property, “ Mr Schneider said.
“These draconian conditions effectively render properties worthless, although Council will no doubt continue to collect rates, or simply resume the property for its own purposes.’’’
Mr Schneider called on the Council to publish the technical brief that was provided to the consultants for preparing all stages of the Coastal Management Plan as a matter of urgency.
This would give Surfside residents clarity about what the Council planned, he said.
Residents and ECA believed Surfside and the Wharf Road precinct needed to be protected from potential sea level rise rather than forced to abandon their properties.
The residents had no confidence in advisers who had preconceived ideas about “planned retreat” which he described as “planned surrender”.
“The erosion problems of north Batemans Bay were effectively brought about by engineering works on the southern side of the Bay. An engineering problem requires an engineering solution.” ECA Media Release
