How does Council reconcile that the anomalies around their perception of the impact of sea level rise from one side of the Clyde River to the other? On the Surfside side of the river it is all "planned retreat" with a very clear statement on the Development Application approval notice from Council that "there is no commitment or intention by Council to improve or maintain infrastructure should this be impacted by sea level in the future"
Above: extract from current Development Application conditions for Surfside
However for the good folks on the opposite shore of the majestic Clyde River living along Beach Road from the CBD to Hanging Rock they have just been advised in a letter from the Mayor that:
The Mayor's letter below and the March 2018 brochure are part of a campaign by Council to put oil on the water of what is becoming a vocal and public issue that has raised considerable concern with the residents of Surfside, Long Beach and Maloneys Beach.
From the above it seems that everything is going to be OK on the Beach Road side of the river and Council will be lifting roads and infrastructure and maintaining the mitigating rock wall as a line of defense to ensure the financial worth of the Beach Road properties are maintained. Funnily the Mayor has a personal go at Mr Hitchcock failing to mention he is actually a member of a much larger NSW wide group called the NSW Coastal Alliance. Anyway she has a go about claims of restricted development and planned retreat calling him out and inferring that his claims are "inaccurate". At this point it might be best to have the Mayor explain in her own words what she means from two extracts of a March 2018 letter she wrote to a concerned ratepayer on the subject of "planned retreat" in Surfside:
The Mayor then adds:
Above: Extracts from a letter written by the Mayor to a ratepayer March 13th 2018 Council went into full defensive mode when it was revealed that there would going to be social and financial consequences to property owners following Council's pursuit and adoption of the new State Government codes. Council quickly knocked up the brochure below to quieten the waters again. Unfortunately for Council they tend to use oil to "calm the waters" only to then find it adds further fuel to an already volatile situation. What they also fail to realise is that their communication has been poor and any trust or respect for them by the many Surfside community members has gone out the door. No amount of letter drops or glossy brochures is going to reassure that community that this Council will do the right thing by them. The Surfside residents are a perfect example of how Council Communication continue to get it SO WRONG. This latest letter drop to Beach Road residents will only result in further community division and lead them on the same path they have now arrived at with theMackay Park Project where they failed to actually communicate with of the community and press on regardless with their own staff determinations
The latest Media Release from the NSW Coastal Alliance for your interest A Tsunami is about to strike the NSW coastline and estuaries but Mother Nature has no involvement in this one. This is all the work of Mother Berejiklian and her band of Green sympathisers who have now released the destructive NSW Coastal Management Act 2016. According to federal government figures, up to 156,000 people will be devastated by this legislation. We believe the true figure is hundreds of thousands more, possibly as high as 500,000. Mindless public servants in the Office of Environment and Heritage have developed legislation that will classify large areas of developed coastline “vulnerable to coastal hazards”. This label will carry development restrictions and special conditions with it that will deter buyers and render the land worthless over time. This concept is currently operating in the Eurobodalla ( and having devastating effects in some locations. Twenty-five years ago, United Nations (UN) computer models started forecasting catastrophic sea level rise that has failed to eventuate. The NSW government has decided to develop a coastal management policy based on these flawed computer models. The new act is the culmination of seven years of coastal mis-management by the Berejiklian government. Her government is being controlled by public servants with their own agendas. This cynical and barbaric attack is directed at Wollongong, Newcastle and other regional communities. Apparently, the sea level is Botany Bay Pittwater and Sydney Harbour is not allowed to increase as this may upset Premier Berejiklian, her Vaucluse based Environment Minister, and their supporters living in harbourside mansions. Interim sea level rise polices currently in place are having devastating negative impacts on property values on lower coastal and estuary lands. As much as 18% down from adjoining suburbs, and if the powers that be continue on their current direction, it will bring about an economic tsunami the likes of which this State has never experienced before. Don’t let this government destroy you or the value in your major asset.
