Adaptation and climate resilience initiatives

The Marks Point Belmont South Local Adaptation Plan (LAP) was adopted by Council in 2016.

The plan contains 22 management actions to be implemented over the coming decades based on a triggers and thresholds approach i.e. the timing of actions will be guided by lake levels:  when a particular lake level is reached, actions will be set in motion (“triggered”).

One of the actions from the LAP was to develop a draft Marks Point and Belmont South (MPBS) Foreshore Management Plan. This was prepared by Council and community representatives and placed on public exhibition in 2021.

The draft Foreshore Management Plan aimed to simplify, and where possible streamline the planning, design and approval process for undertaking foreshore stabilisation and/or rehabilitation works. It provided practical information to help local residents and Council plan and implement foreshore management works, protecting the area now and into the future.

There will be future community engagement involved with implementing elements of the MPBS Local Adaptation Plan and the MPBS Foreshore Management Plan. 

Local Adaptation Plan (LAP) update for July/August 2023

The Local Adaptation Plan (LAP) for Pelican, Blacksmiths, Swansea, Swansea Heads and Caves Beach was adopted by Council on the 25 October 2021.

It will assist Council and the community to prepare for the impacts of climate change and sea level rise  in vulnerable areas including the open coast and in and around the entrance channel.

There will be future community engagement associated with implementing the actions of the LAP. Register your interest to find out more.

How was this Local Adaptation Plan developed?

Council worked closely with the local community over a five year period to codesign the LAP for Pelican Blacksmiths, Swansea, Swansea Heads and Caves Beach.

Planning in Pelican and Blacksmiths started in 2016 with a range of codesign engagement activities from 2016-2020. Planning in Swansea, Swansea Heads and Caves Beach began in 2018 and the two LAP groups combined in 2019.

Over the five-year period, we collated over 180 adaptation options from the community.

Leveraging this feedback and other technical advice and research, we combined the body of work undertaken to develop a 10-year adaptation plan for the area, presented in two volumes.

• Volume 1: Local Adaptation Plan
• Volume 2: Local Adaptation Plan

Future Pelican / Blacksmiths has more information about the previous research and community engagement undertaken to develop the final adopted LAP.

Local Adaptation Plan (LAP) update for July/August 2023(PDF, 904KB)

There will be future community engagement activities involved with implementing elements of the Pelican, Blacksmiths, Swansea, Swansea Heads and Caves Beach Local Adaptation Plan.

Council received a grant in 2019 from the Local Government NSW  Increasing Resilience to Climate Change program for the trial of tidal gates at Swansea.

Swansea CBD experiences nuisance flooding due to seasonal king tides and storm surges. The pilot aimed to test different tidal gates and observe their effectiveness in protecting Swansea Central Business District (CBD) from tidal inundation. 

The aim of the pilot is to control and/or mitigate current issues with tidal inundation. If successful, the pilot could be scaled-up to other areas in the City.

Two different types of tidal gates were installed at two locations:

• The stormwater inlet south of McDonald’s carpark at Swansea
• The stormwater outlet adjacent to Bowman Street, Swansea and north of Plains Gully Creek.

Watch the videos below for more information about the pilot.

Following on from the successful Swansea tidal gates pilot Council has been researching how tidal gates may be used in other low-lying areas around the lake and channel. Further project updates will be provided as this work progresses.

Council is planning for climate resilience in the lakeside suburbs of Teralba, Booragul, Marmong Point, Woodrising, Bolton Point, Fennel Bay, Fassifern, Blackalls Park and Toronto.

We want to work with communities and stakeholders from Teralba to Toronto to proactively plan for and adapt to flooding, sea and lake level rise, bush fire, urban heat and other climate hazards that can impact on social, economic and environmental wellbeing. 

Find out more