Adelaide beach management review

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In April 2022 the South Australian Government announced that the planned construction of a sand recycling pipeline between West Beach and Semaphore South would be halted. Instead, a comprehensive review of all available coastal (sand) management options is being undertaken to ensure a long-term solution is found which puts community and the environment at the core.

The 12-month review commenced in early 2023, following the appointment of community engagement specialists URPS and coastal engineering specialists Bluecoast Consulting Engineers in late 2022.

The appointment of SA-based URPS allows for a bespoke community engagement process to be undertaken to ensure extensive consultation and engagement is undertaken with a broad range of stakeholders and community members. Through this process, URPS will document the Adelaide community’s views on sand management options and on the impact of the current sand management approaches including trucking and pipelines.

The NSW-based firm Bluecoast Consulting Engineers were appointed following a select tender process undertaken by DEW targeting local, interstate and overseas experts in coastal management. A review of the tender submissions was undertaken by the Independent Advisory Panel, and after careful consideration the Panel recommended that Bluecoast be appointed. The Attorney-General subsequently agreed with the recommendation and Bluecoast was engaged to undertake the scientific review.

The scientific review by Bluecoast will include consideration of:

1. How to manage sand on Adelaide’s beaches to achieve the following goals:
   1. Minimise disruption for all communities
   2. Avoid environmental harm; and
   3. Maximise sand staying on beaches.
2. The Adelaide community’s views on sand management options and on the impact of the current sand management approaches including trucking and pipelines.
3. Lessons from international examples of sand management on metropolitan beaches.
4. What can be learned from the most up to date analysis of climate science about future management of Adelaide’s beaches.

Stage 1 Community Engagement Now Open

The Adelaide Beach Management Review is well underway following the appointment of community engagement specialists URPS, the company responsible for community engagement supported by DEW's project manager Chris Newby. Coastal science and engineering specialists Bluecoast Consulting Engineers will be completing the independent scientific review.

It is very important to the success of the review that it is informed by an understanding of what matters most to the community about the coastline and the community's views on the different sand management approaches.

A survey on why the coast is important and the draft list of approaches is now open until 5pm 9 June 2023 at yoursay.sa.gov.au/abmr

This is the first of two key stages in the review process at which community and stakeholders can provide input.

• Stage 1: Seeking input about what outcomes and values are important to the community for how sand is managed on beaches, and to add any new approaches to an established draft list to be assessed by Bluecoast.
• Stage 2: Seeking community and stakeholder feedback on the shortlisted sand management approaches.

URPS will lead these engagement processes and prepare a report of the results of each stage of engagement. Reports will be made available on this webpage and provided to the Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) for review.

The department would like to advise of a recent update to the integrated review process timeline (noting the timeline is subject to change as the review progresses), with the IAP adopting the following timeline at its March meeting.

• December 2022 – IAP holds first meeting.
• December-January 2023 – Preparation of Community Engagement Plan.
• January-March 2023 – Review of relevant data and literature on Adelaide coastal management. Meetings with key stakeholders to discuss coastal management approaches.
• April 2023 - Commence six-week community engagement process on the list of approaches and values/goals of the review, including an online survey and an opportunity to make written submissions to the review.
• May 2023 - Hold key stakeholder's workshop.
• June 2023 - Community Engagement closes (note: another stage of community consultation will occur following the shortlisting process).
• June 2023 - Independent Advisory Panel receives community's written submissions on list and values and confirm Bluecoast's approach to multi-criteria analysis.
• July-August 2023 - Assess approaches using multi-criteria analysis and prepare report on shortlisted approaches.
• August 2023 – Independent Advisory Panel receives Bluecoasts's advice on shortlisted approaches and endorse shortlist for community engagement.
• August 2023 - Commence six-week community engagement process on the feasible shortlisted approaches, including an online survey and opportunity to make written submissions to the review and verbal representations to the Panel.
• September 2023 - Hold community popup event on the foreshore to invite feedback on shortlisted approaches.
• October 2023 - Community engagement closes.
• October 2023 - Independent Advisory Panel receives community's written and verbal submissions on the shortlist.
• November 2023 - Independent Advisory Panel receives draft scientific review report and draft community engagement report on shortlisted approaches.
• December 2023 - Independent Advisory Panel receives and signs off on final reports containing advice for consideration by government via the Attorney-General.

The Independent Advisory Panel (IAP)

The Independent Advisory Panel was formed in November 2022 to oversee the Adelaide Beach Management Review. This was the first step in an important journey to find sustainable solutions to coastal erosion along Adelaide's metropolitan beaches.

The six Advisory Panel members were appointed by the Attorney-General as follows:

- Mark Searle, former chief executive officer for the City of Marion
- Kaurna representatives Les Wanganeen and Sarah Smith
- Professor Beverley Clarke, social science expert from Flinders University
- Professor Emeritus Nicholas Harvey, coastal science expert from the University of Adelaide
- Professor Emeritus Michael Young, environmental science expert from the University of Adelaide.

The Panel will receive submissions from community members and groups as part of the community engagement process and will also receive the findings of the independent scientific review. Any recommendations by the Panel in response to these outcomes will be made to government through the Attorney-General.

Additional information on the Panel is available via:

- New Independent Advisory Panel

- Independent Advisory Panel Terms of Reference

Fact Sheets

Additional detail relevant to the review is provided in the fact sheets below:

- Adelaide beach management review FAQs

- Independent Advisory Panel FAQs

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Externally sourced sand will continue to be brought into West Beach while the review is completed.

For further information on beach management, please see Managing Adelaide's Beaches and Adelaide Beach Works