Environmental Strategies and Plans

The City’s Environmental Services Unit produces a number of strategies and plans covering:

  • Sustainability
  • Water conservation
  • Climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • Natural area management.
These strategies and plans guide the City’s actions in sustainability and environmental management, and help to set achievable goals.

Please visit Documents and Publications to search the full list of environmental strategies and plans.

Our plan for managing the Coogee Beach foreshore 

The Coogee Beach Foreshore Management Plan 2020-2070 was adopted by Council on 12 November 2020.

Parts of the Coogee Beach foreshore are identified as increasingly vulnerable to coastal hazards. As a result, the foreshore’s assets and natural environment may come under pressure in the future. The Foreshore Management Plan is a 50 year guide on how we will adapt to coastal challenges to maintain the environmental, recreational, social and commercial values of the foreshore. 

The plan recommends ongoing strategic planning to maintain the foreshore in its current state, with the overall goal of preserving the sandy beach, dune vegetation and bush, paths, carparks, playgrounds, toilets, plus the holiday park, surf club and café.

It also details a trigger point framework of strategic decisions and actions in response to coastal risks associated with the uncertainty of longer term sea level rises and the severe impacts of erosion and inundation.
 
The Foreshore Management Plan covers the area between Poore Grove (to the south), Cockburn Road (to the east) and Perlinte View (to the north). Actions recommended within the immediate term (10 year period) are more detailed and have greater certainty, whilst a flexible approach is taken to longer term actions so decisions can be made at the appropriate time in the future.

Objectives of the Plan

  • Sustainable development of the foreshore to cater for increasing population, a developing tourist precinct and usage demands while balancing preservation of natural areas and coastal vulnerability risk
  • Maintaining a foreshore reserve and public access to the beach and adjoining reserves
  • Maintain and improve public facilities within the Coogee Beach Reserve, including grassed areas, BBQ picnic facilities, playgrounds, toilets, parking, pathways etc, albeit with provision to adapt and relocate facilities as may be required in future in response to coastal processes
  • Conservation of existing natural dune systems and bushland within the foreshore
  • Maintain commercial premises and major built structures being the Coogee Beach Holiday Park, Coogee Beach Cafe, Coogee Beach Jetty, car parks and the Coogee Beach Integrated Facility, including surf club, recreational and cafe premises within, for as long as practical, with consideration to defending, adapting or relocating in the longer term
  • For the Coogee Beach Holiday Park, retain its current footprint with a suitable foreshore reserve buffer for as long as practical, preferably the 50 year planning horizon, with consideration to interim protection or modification to site boundaries if required in response to coastal processes
  • Maintain and improve accessibility to beach and public foreshore amenities.

Short term actions for the next 10 years

While the plan covers a period of 50 years, below is an overview of the short term actions the City will be undertaking in the next 10 years.
Consolidate tracks
  • Continue monitoring condition and health of dunes
  • Maintain and install fencing to protect dunes
  • Construct timber stairs/boardwalks to access track 3 and 4
  • If degradation is observed beyond 2025, consider consolidation of dune tracks
  • Construct link path to western boundary of Holiday Park to improve access and connect to existing paved path.
Manage flora, fauna and weeds
  • Continue implementation of Weed Management and Vegetation Rehabilitation Plans
  • Continue fauna management in accordance with Environmental Management Plan.
Manage social behaviour
  • Continue Beach Bin trial initiative on permanent basis to reduce littering and adapt locations and collection schedules as required to respond to erosion and seasonal usage
  • Increase passive surveillance and swimmer safety by facilitating a movable observation tower in coordination with Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Adjust location as required.
  • Maintain and expand CCTV network at Coogee Beach in accordance with Community Safety & CCTV Strategy.
Manage Coogee Beach Jetty and Integrated Community Facility (ICF)
  • Monitor stability of Coogee Jetty abutment via coastal monitoring program
  • Design and implement an access ramp towards the shore from the exiting jetty to improve accessibility and enable closure of unviable existing wheelchair ramp
  • Plan any upgrades or major works to the jetty with consideration to increasing future coastal risks and the remaining useful life of the structure
  • Monitor the width of the dune buffer in front of the (ITF) building and replenish the beach as required to prevent erosion of more than 5m from 2012 survey
  • Complete a cost-benefit analysis of interim protection vs early retreat and if determined the preferred pathway, complete detailed design of the recommended interim protection measure.
Manage Holiday Park infrastructure
  • Progressive redevelopment of Holiday Park with permanent development (ablutions, offices, major services, etc.) behind the Holiday Park Buffer Line as assets reach the end of useful life
  • Only transportable accommodation, removable infrastructure and minor services to be established on the ocean side of the Holiday Park Buffer Line
  • Ensure leasing arrangement reflects risks and hazards present for the property and controls in place
  • Monitor shoreline movements and the width of the vegetated foreshore reserve in front of the Holiday Park as part of the City’s annual coastal monitoring program.
Manage Perlinte View
  • Continue monitoring the beach and dune width as part of the broader coastal monitoring program. A dune width of 60m or less from Perlinte View represents a higher risk and should trigger planning for further actions
  • Investigate and assess funding mechanisms, sources and contribution models for erosion adaptation measures (e.g. a seawall) for Perlinte View, and consider establishing a reserve fund for this purpose.
Manage Coogee Beach Café
  • Maintain or improve the current premises.
Manage the shark barrier & swimming pontoons
  • Maintain the Shark Barrier and swimming pontoons
  • Continue monitoring shoreline movements in this area as part of the coastal monitoring program, check depths at pontoon locations prior to each year’s deployment.
Manage car parks and site access
  • Monitor retreat of coastline and hazard zones, and check that at least 60m dune width remains
  • Advocate for improved public transport and pedestrian access links.
Manage minor structures
  • Maintain existing minor structures until such time that they become unviable due to erosion risk
  • Decommission the unviable wheelchair ramp and associated shade structure immediately south of the Coogee Beach Jetty once the replacement ramp at the Jetty is operational
  • Design and implementation of a realignment of the existing main asphalt access link to the Jetty
  • Remove the shade shelter along access track 3 near Peri End at such time that ongoing removal of windblown sand becomes unviable. Replace it with a shade shelter elsewhere in the landscaped areas
  • Replace structures at the end of their design life with lightweight/relocatable structures, or if possible retreat (shift or replace) minor structures to alternative landward locations at such time that they become unviable in present locations due to increasing erosion risk.
Replenish the sand
  • Continue monitoring beach, with particular attention to maintaining at least 30m dune width to the CBICF site
  • Continue triennial Port Coogee Sand Bypassing works, with target bypassing quantities as necessary to prevent shoreline recession south of Port Coogee as determined by the annual coastal monitoring program
  • Reactive sand replenishment and dune rehabilitation in front of the CBICF if or when required by coastal monitoring trigger point
  • Investigate additional sand sources for interim sand replenishment at Coogee Beach (with consideration to nourishment requirements at other Cockburn beaches) including feasibility and approvals pathways.
Additional reserve areas
  • Continue negotiations to transfer the Unallocated Crown Land adjacent to Cockburn Road to Reserve under the City’s management
Planning for development
Limit new assets to sustainable setback locations
  • All new development (buildings, carparks, hardscaping, services, boardwalks, etc.) within the Foreshore, including the Holiday Park, should be located at a setback distance suitable to the asset’s intended useful design life
  • Minor development (e.g. footpaths, fencing etc.) or that which necessarily links to the beach and must by nature be beyond the appropriate hazard line, should be built to withstand or be easily adapted (removable or upgradeable) to the expected coastal hazard scenario.
Focusing Activity Areas
  • Priority should  be given to spreading new or renewed amenities southward where appropriate, and intensification of development should be avoided in the northern half of the Foreshore Area where practical.
Development Approvals
  • Where a development requires planning approval, the application should demonstrate how future coastal hazard impacts will be addressed.
Master Planning
  • Develop a long term coordinated plan for the Foreshore and adjacent land parcels that builds on existing master planning, and considers the measures and likely future changes to the Foreshore as presented in this FMP.
Monitor beach and dunes
  • Update Coastal Monitoring Program to include specific monitoring actions specified in section 6.11 to incorporate new trigger points and distances.
Undertake a periodic review
  • Review City’s CHRMAP (e.g. the studies completed through the Cockburn Sound Coastal Alliance) Coastal Vulnerability & Flexible Adaptation Pathways Project) and this Foreshore Management Plan every 10 years to update risk information and hazard lines.

For more information, read the Coogee Beach Foreshore Management Plan media release.

Our 10 year plan for waste 

The Waste Strategy 2020-2030 was adopted by Council on 12 November 2020.

The City’s current population is 112,000. This is projected to increase to over 170,000 by 2036. Waste generation per capita in Australia is also increasing by 1% each year. This coincides with an increasing landfill ley in WA and finite remaining landfill capacity. 

The City collects and disposes of waste from approximately 43,000 households. This includes general waste, green waste, junk waste and recyclables. We also own the Henderson Waste Recovery Park, which recovers and recycles hazardous household waste, e-waste, and other problematic items such as tyres and mattresses.

The Waste Strategy 2020-30 outlines how the City can manage the long term sustainability of its waste practices.

Objectives of the Plan

The strategy’s three key objectives are:  
  1. Avoid – generating less waste
  2. Recover – recovering more value and resources from the waste we produce
  3. Protect – protecting the environment by managing waste responsibly

Actions

Construct a new Cockburn Renewable Energy Park
  • Continue to develop a business case to construct and operate a Cockburn Renewable Energy Park at the Henderson site. This will include the development of leased sites to enable diversion of waste streams away from landfill into reprocessing and reuse. The concept recommends the development of leased areas for complementary waste contractors to further process recovered inert, steel, green waste, timber, paper and e-waste. If the concepts identified in the Future Development Strategy are implemented in their entirety, the resource recovery rate for the Cockburn Resource Recovery Precinct will increase from 8% to 70%.
  • Fill and cap existing landfill space at the Henderson Waste Recovery Park.
Transition to energy from waste
  • Transition to Energy from Waste (EfW) for general waste disposal
    • A consequence of the substantial increase in the landfill levy, sending residual non-recyclable waste to an energy from waste (EfW) facility has become a more economical option than sending it to landfill for disposal
  • Two EfW plants, which will accept pre-sorted commercial, industrial, construction, demolition and source separated (by resident) municipal solid waste, are currently proposed to be built in the industrial areas south of Fremantle.
    • A Waste Supply Agreement has been awarded, with the first EfW plant to be built in East Rockingham. The plant is expected to be completed in 2022. 
Utilise a third bin for garden waste
  • Utilise a third bin for garden waste across the City for eligible properties
Reduce size of general waste bin to 140L
  • Research the costs and benefits of reducing the size of 240L waste bin to 140L to encourage a reduction in the volume of
    waste being sent to EfW or landfill.
Review verge-side collection system
  • Review the City’s verge-side collection system, including the possibility of a pre-booked collection service
  • Consult with the community on the option
Waste education
  • Develop a Waste Education Centre at the new Cockburn Resource Recovery Precinct
  • School waste education programs
  • Waste education workshops and events
  • Ongoing educational bin tagging program to assist in identifying which items should be disposed of in a more efficient manner
  • Social media and marketing campaigns across a range of channels
Sustainability grants
  • Promote waste initiatives through sustainability grants
Virtual waste tours
  • Investigate the possibility of producing virtual tours of CRRRP to be delivered from the Waste Education Centre or online
Waste App
  • Engage with the community about preferences for waste information
  • Review the feasibility of adopting a WALGA endorsed Waste app
Illegal dumping prevention
  • Continue implementation of a preventative illegal dumping program
  • Development of a new system for capturing illegal dumping data through ESRI system
  • Roll out tablets to illegal dumping crew to capture data
  • Explore use of CCTV at regularly used illegal dumping sites
Purchase an electric waste truck
  • Purchase and commission electric waste truck
  • Review performance, cost and benefits
Hydrogen powered waste trucks
  • Consider outcomes of feasibility study into the use of hydrogen powered waste trucks
FOGO feasibility
  • Assess the feasibility to convert the City’s Garden Organics (GO) bins to Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO), should processing of this material become operationally and financially viable.
Commercial food waste trial
  • A commercial food waste collection service ensures that organic material is recovered for its highest possible reuse
  • Complete the commercial food waste trials with participants
  • Review results and the potential for a permanent service.
Use of digital technologies
  • The City will prepare for becoming a Smart City by using digital technologies in all our initiatives to improve performance, efficiency and the customer’s experience.
Climate Change Impact
  • 100 per cent of non-hazardous waste to be diverted from landfill by 2030
  • Increasing renewable energy generation across the site, including solar photovoltaics, wind turbines and hydrogen will continue to be investigated.
  • Other waste related climate change actions are detailed in the City's Climate Change Strategy 2020 – 2030.
Managing pollution
  • To mitigate pollution at HWRP, leachate ponds will be relined and a leachate evaporation plant will be installed to ensure that no groundwater pollution occurs
  • A groundwater monitoring program will continue after the closure of landfill cells at the site to ensure long-term pollution control
  • Mobile litter fencing will be maintained to ensure that waste is not able to leave the HWRP site
  • Continue work on preventing littering and illegal dumping. The City’s mapping system will be updated to allow detailed tracking of dumping offences in order to develop targeted solutions
  • The suite of waste management services provided to the community by the City will be continually reviewed to mitigate the risk of harmful environmental effects of illegal dumping and litter. This will include community consultation on a pre-booked verge collection service.

Related Documents

Document name Downloadable files
City of Cockburn Waste Strategy - 2020-2030 - Accessible versionPDF document

More information and contact

Please contact Environmental Services for more information on 08 9411 3444 or at [email protected]

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Cockburn Nyungar moort Beeliar boodja-k kaadadjiny. Koora, yeyi, benang baalap nidja boodja-k kaaradjiny.
Ngalak kaadatj dayin boodja, kep wer malayin. Ngalak kaadatj koora koora wer yeyi ngalang birdiya.

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We acknowledge a continuing connection to land, waters and culture and pay our respects to the Elders, past and present.