The Coastal Pathway – unfinished business

The Coastal Pathway – unfinished business

Richard Smith and Jim Douglas

The Hon Diana Laidlaw, Minister for Transport and Urban Planning (1997-2002) initiated the Coastal Linear Park project (as it is now called) on the edge of Gulf St Vincent. The plan was to construct a footpath and a recreational bicycle path along the Adelaide foreshore between Outer Harbor and ultimately Sellicks Beach. The funding and construction of this uninterrupted pathway is a shared responsibility of the SA State Government(s) and six coastal councils including the City of Charles Sturt. Between 2001 and 2013, the state government had provided over $21 million. In 2019, it continues to provide funding matched by local government councils towards the development of the project. It was anticipated that the full construction would take ten years; however, this timeline has been well exceeded. We are into the 18th year and the pathway has not been completed. It is interesting to revisit a statement by the Hon Ms Laidlaw that it was disappointing the infrastructure designed to benefit pedestrians and cyclists has taken so long to be completed.

As one of the six local coastal governments, the City of Charles Sturt commenced community consultation in 2013. The first section of the Coastal Linear Park was completed along Henley Beach shore. In subsequent years, the council completed construction from West Beach through to Grange as well as sections within Semaphore Park. The section of coastline between Grange and Semaphore is the area of concern. Nestled between this section of coast are the well-known and cared for Tennyson Dunes, said to be up to 6,000 years old and containing rare coastal plants with many bird and reptile species.

WACRA is recognised as a key stakeholder alongside five other community resident groups: Coastal Ecology Protection Group (CEPG), Sandpiper Place Group (SPG), Wild Endangered Dunes Group (WEDGE), Tennyson Heights Group (THG) and the Tennyson Dunes Group (TDG). Many of these groups were set up after 2013. Initially the well-established Bicycle Users Group (BUG) was a stakeholder. Council, in its attempt to find common ground between these groups, called for expressions of interest. A Coast Park Community Reference Group was to be managed by council with an independent facilitator. Terms of reference were agreed upon. We recall that:

Various planning and coastal experts were brought in to provide guidance to this reference group. At times the meetings were dynamic and heated; consensus was not reached. In total, this reference group met for two years. There were strong deputations to council. Generally, your deputation was acknowledged with applause. Those presenting the deputation could leave their documented notes but had no right of reply to council. It was difficult to ascertain if our voice had been heard. The process and workings of council are not always clear.

Our involvement commenced on 26 March 2014. At the first meeting of the reference group, we were given an environmental report. It explored pathway design possibilities. We discussed the area from Terminus Street in Grange to Third Avenue in Semaphore. This section contains the Tennyson Dunes for which the Tennyson Dunes Group has a passionate concern. Ian Hunter, Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, SA Government, made it clear that this area was going to be declared as a reserve. However, for the coastal pathway to proceed, we needed to agree on the way in which Tennyson Dunes

could be protected. Meetings were held with all groups in the following few months – April, May and July 2014. Within that period of time we heard about four options for the Coastal Linear Park.

• Option 1: The park was to be coastal – it would run somewhere close to the houses. The government decreed that ‘a coast park would be coastal’ • Option 2: A path could be partly on a road • Option 3: The path would be mostly on the western side of Military Road • Option 4: The path would be on the eastern side of Military Road

Some people in the reference group did not want a concrete path in front of their houses, and one group in particular, Wild Endangered Dunes Group (WEDGE), staged an effective public protest. Well-informed people from the Bicycle Users Group (BUG) argued the whole idea of options 2-4 alongside or on the road were absurd as obviously these paths would not be along the coast. As a group we walked this section of the proposed Coastal Linear Park many times. The coastal pathway was the subject of many conversations within WACRA, and with other interested community organisations, council and state MPs.

It was hard work being a WACRA member of the reference group. Some people voiced strong opposition against any pathway at all, and then there were others who would agree to a narrow natural sand/dirt walking track. Others wanted a three-metre solid constructed pathway, and yet others suggested a combination of a shared pathway and environmentally well-constructed boardwalks. WACRA’s position was for the path to be as close to the coast as feasible and as sensitive to the environment as possible. WACRA was in favour of council attempting to reach consensus though group discussion. However, there were some wild opinions (e.g. we could not have a coastal path because it was too windy!). We began to see that all sorts of ideas and objections were pulled out of pockets. It was not surprising that people objected, particularly those who lived in this dune zone. Invasion of privacy and possibly a decline in property values were some of the reasons given. We heard about the lawn strip on common ground which had been carefully tended for years by local coastal dwelling residents and they wanted to keep this green strip intact. On several occasions WACRA’s delegation met with Stephen Mullighan who served as Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and Minister for Housing and Urban Development from 2014-18. He was in favour of the Coastal Linear Park pathway being two metres wide (instead of three) but claimed it would not work through the Tennyson Dunes as people on bikes would not be careful enough to protect rare coastal plants that thrive on its edges. Nevertheless, it was worth exploring if the path could be constructed in ways that would not damage the natural environment. Boardwalks were vehemently opposed by some groups.

There was a change in leadership of the elected members of Charles Sturt Council who, much to the concern of all the reference group members, closed the communication. On 23 February 2015, the reference group was disbanded. The ‘shut down’ came at a critical time. It was just after council made a public call to include a wider group of residents. The ‘new’ group took a proactive support position for a continuous shared three-metre pathway. This position caused great concern to those objecting to a shared pathway and meetings thereafter became quite hostile.

Eventually Charles Sturt Council presented its position. It consisted of a combination of two plans that had been discussed within the reference group. This fused plan was a threemetre-wide concrete pathway in two sections, from Third Street in Semaphore Park to Cormorant Court (the northern boundary of the Tennyson Dunes) and from Fort Street in Grange to Bournemouth Street (the southernmost boundary of the Tennyson Dunes). There were two options in relation to the location of the pathway and there were suggestions that in some sensitive areas there could be the possibility of a boardwalk crossing.

It was obvious to WACRA that this fused plan would not be acceptable to those resident groups who live on that section of the dunes. As members of WACRA, we had walked this disputed section of the Coastal Linear Park many times. WACRA sought alternative views, attending many meetings and participating in internal discussions. We communicated our plan to each of the groups involved, with an invitation to meet with us. We believed that a compromise was possible. Our position on this section of coastal land included a nonconcrete pathway measuring less than three metres using a 'Discovery Trail'. It was to be located mainly at the most eastern point of the existing dune. We had consulted and sought expert advice from an ecologist, a coastal engineer, a coastal planner, and a representative group of residents consisting of one from each stakeholder group. Only one group took up our invitation. The Bicycle Users Group (BUG) made some suggested changes but in the main agreed that our compromise was workable for their users.

The Tennyson Dunes Group eventually agreed that the existing pathway inside the dunes should be remodelled and the pathway fenced as much as possible. This was encouraging because at the same time the Tennyson Dunes Group were looking for support to make an application to State Government Minister Ian Hunter for the Tennyson Dunes to be declared a conservation reserve. If their application was successful, that meant that the management of the Tennyson Dunes would be taken over from council by the state government.

Whilst all this was happening, residents from the CEPG determined to take legal action against Charles Sturt Council in their endeavours to stop any work proceeding. The court ruled in favour of the CEPG and they were awarded all costs. In short, the court found that council had not followed the correct procedures set down within their Public Consultation Policy and all costs were carried by council. As a result, Charles Sturt Council was forced to review its consultation procedures. This meant that a new round of consultation had to take place. After many months of meetings and presentations council finally endorsed a new Public Consultation Policy.

Where are we in August 2019? It is our opinion that a new round of community consultation must take place again with stakeholders. This time we should seek greater community representation. One of the outcomes of the recent council elections is that the Coastal Linear Park is high on its agenda. The road ahead will not be easy. However, various WACRA members have attended every meeting of the Community Reference Group and we have made significant contributions. We are aware of different group agendas and we will ensure that our membership continues to be fully engaged in resolving this issue. We will have to look for a compromise in line with WACRA’s revised position. It now seems possible that the state government will take control of the development away from council. This may be a good thing providing that a full consultation process takes place. …As of November 2019, discussions are ongoing.