NRM Planning

1
NRM Planning Local Government
Gold Coast City Council Case Study
David CorkillManager, Strategic Environmental
Planning Policy
Integrated NRM Planning Symposium2004 National
General Assembly of Local GovernmentCanberra
November 9
2
OUTLINE

• Some City Facts
• The state of NRM Planning in SEQ
• The relationship between NRM Plans and Gold
• Coast City Council Actions
• Key Points

3
Gold Coast City SOME FACTS

• Australias sixth largest City and second
  largest Local Government Area
• (BCC largest).
• Annual Budget approximately 600 million.
• Located in SEQ highest growth area in
  Australia 2.7 million residents,
• projected to rise to 3.7 million by 2026 -
  50,000 new residents each year.
• Fastest growing Local Government Area in SEQ
  with growth in population
• between 1986-2003 of 240,000 persons.
• Resident population 470,000 average growth
  rate 3.4 projected to rise to
• 750,000 by 2026.
• Cater for around 3 million visitors per year
  with an average of 78,000 people
• visiting the City on any given day.

4
Gold Coast City SOME FACTS

• City Area 14,000 square metres.
• 42 km of Ocean Beaches.
• Extensive Waterway Systems both natural and
  man made.
• Substantial areas of the Moreton Bay RAMSAR
  site and South Moreton Bay
• Marine Park are included in the City.
• World Heritage Rainforest CERRA (Springbrook
  and Lamington).
• Approximately 50 of the City area support
  bushland over 33 different
• ecological terrestrial communities
  Australias most biologically diverse City.
• Approximately 60 of the City area is defined
  and regulated for non-urban
• purposes by the Draft SEQ Regional Plan.
• Pleasing results from the recent SEQ Waterways
  Scorecard prepared by the
• Moreton Bay Catchment Partnership.
• Tourism industry underpinned by a high quality
  natural environment.

5
The State of NRM Planning in SEQ

• Draft NRM Plan on display for public comment.
• SEQ region has also a western catchments
  plan prepared in response to
• NAP funding.
• Challenge to align two plans in an overlapping
  geographical context.
• Other multiple regional planning initiatives
  
• Biodiversity
• Water Quality Quantity
• Air
• Land Use Planning
• Natural Hazards
• Good Quality Agricultural Land
• Coastal Management
• Pest Management

6
NRM Planning Gold Coast City Land Actions

• 1995 to present Gold Coast City Council
  embarked on substantial natural
• resource investigations/strategies/plans
  for the City
• biodiversity
• wastewater
• floodplain
• bushfire
• acid sulphate soils
• landslip
• water quality catchment management
• coastal process
• pest management
• Substantial knowledge of the state of natural
  resources, pressure they are under,
• and key action areas.

7
NRM Planning Gold Coast City Land Actions

• Gold Coast City Council has a stated
  commitment to ecological sustainability
• embedded within the Corporate Plan
• Naturally, the worlds best place to be because
  we will
• create a city that is recognised internationally
  for the quality,
• diversity, and sustainability of its lifestyle,
  economy and
• environment. The Gold Coasts future will be
  secure as
• Australias most desirable place to live and
  favourite place
• to visit.
• This commitment to sustainability supports the
  Citys annual Operational Plan
• which guides the expenditure of the Citys
  600 million annual budget.
• Through consecutive Operational Plans, the
  City has expended substantial
• resources in preparing and implementing
  strategies and plans aimed at managing
• the Citys natural resources.

8
NRM Planning Gold Coast City Land Actions

• As a result for the Gold Coast City Council,
  given the pressures and the
• overriding need to sustainably manage our
  natural resources, much of our
• planning and actions are in advance of
  regional NRM plans.
• In addition, Gold Coast City Council has
  established recurrent funding streams to
• finance this management.
• A substantial component is funded by General
  Revenue, however, a significant
• component is comprised of a separate charge
  on the rates a green levy.
• Gold Coast City Councils State of the
  Environment reports that GCCC has an
• annual expenditure of 130 million that is
  associated with environmental
• management.

9
NRM Planning Gold Coast City Land Actions

• The challenge posed by the current NRM
  Planning is
• to ensure that our local plans are reflected in
  the Regional Plan to a
• satisfactory degree
• to ensure that our local NRM issues, which have
  regional economic
• implications, are adequately reflected in
  the plan to ensure funding is
• possible
• to focus the attention of community groups,
  Councillors, and officers in
• the NRM planning process, given that the
  local planning and funding
• streams are at times in advance of the NRM
  planning - particularly, given
• the available funding across the nation is
  based upon a regions size
• rather than population or the priority of
  issues.

10
KEY POINTS

• High population growth poses particular
  problems associated with
• accelerated threats and challenges in
  engaging an ever new community with
• limited connection with the City and its
  natural resources.
• Regional Plans in diverse regions risk being a
  general plan lacking
• sophistication and detail necessary to
  support real gains in a local context.
• Councils with financial capacity to fund NRM
  actions outside a Regional
• NRM Planning framework, are challenged to
  engage in NRM planning as
• are their community associations, and risk
  missing the boat for future
• funding through Investment Strategies due
  to lack of engagement in plan
• making phase.
• There is far more to Gold Coast City than the
  clichés would have you
• believe come up and see us sometime !

Thank you