3. The Proposal
3.1 Background
Coral Coast Marina Developments Pty Ltd is a private company formed in 1987 with the specific purpose of developing a resort at Mauds Landing. It wasn’t until 1995 that CCMD finally secured town planning approval to precede development plans at Mauds Landing due to monetary issues (CCMD 2000a).
The first proposal put forward by CCMD was intended to increase peak tourist numbers of 2,000 to 5,135 and thus resulted in media frenzy due to the negative impacts increased human activity will bring to the sensitive Ningaloo Reef and surrounding habitats. Even though the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the proposal to be environmentally acceptable subject to nine recommendations, the proposal was rejected on appeal by the Minister for Environment (CCMD Pty Ltd 2002). The Minister ruled that the proposal would have negative effects on Ningaloo Marine Park and the water resources of the region (CCMD 2000a).
The current proposal for the development of a resort hotel on Mauds Landing is on a smaller scale than the first. This proposal was assessed by the EPA in 2002 and it was recommended that the Public Environmental Review should make the ultimate decision. The PER found the proposal suitable for implementation but due to high public scrutiny against the proposal, the Premier at the time Geoff Gallop rejected the proposal.
3.2 Main Features of the 2 Proposals
The first proposal
- A ‘club resort’ comprising of 400 rooms;
- Caravan park containing 175 bays and 75 chalets
- A back packer hostel holding 60 beds
- 80 serviced apartments/ townhouses
- A Visitor Centre to be run by the Department of Conservation and Land Management
- A Town Centre, including shopping plaza, retail outlets, tavern, parking facilities, administration buildings, serviced apartments and a visitor and research centre;
- Administration facilities
- A country club and 18 hole golf course
- Sports and recreation ground
- An inland excavated marina (45 ha in area and 3.5m deep) protected by 3 off-shore breakwater structures, and associated boat moorings and pens
- Approximately 350 single residential lots, 110 single dwellings, 25 strata dwellings, referred to as the ‘West Marina Estate’
- A service/ light industrial area; and
- Provision of water, sewer and electrical facilities.
The Second Proposal
- an inland marina;
- marina village (comprising a serviced resort complex, festival and convenience
- retail, food and beverage facilities, environment interpretive centre);
- tourist accommodation (including Caravan and Chalet Park, Beach ‘annex’ to the marina village resort providing further serviced suites, backpackers hostel, and tourist villa, townhouse and timeshare sites);
- supporting coach terminal, auto/marine servicing area, boat launching and parking facilities;
- sports and community centre;
- residential accommodation;
- staff accommodation; and
- service utilities infrastructure and Services area.
The major changes from the earlier proposal include:
- a reduction in the overall scale of the development
- a greater emphasis on a tourism/resort development in preference to residential development
- removal of the golf course from the proposal
- a formal commitment in the form of natural resources management agreement with CALM and Fisheries WA to provide resources and support to the government agencies involved in managing environmental impacts in Ningaloo marine park
- The minimisation of grassed areas and use of contemporary trickle irrigation systems to reduce water use and minimise changes to the hydrology of the site.
Summary of Changes between first and current proposal
3.3 Planning Considerations
The Mauds Landing town site is zoned ‘Resort Development’ under the Shire of
Carnarvon Town Planning Scheme No. 11.
The zone requires that a structure plan be prepared and approved by Council and the Minister for Planning prior to any subdivision or development occurring. With TPS scheme 11, the objectives for the “Resort Development” zone are:
- to enable the planned and progressive development of the land for the purposes of a tourist resort in a manner and at a time appropriate to the orderly and proper planning and development of the land, the locality and the District and in general accordance with the regional planning objectives of the Gascoyne Coast Regional Strategy; and
- In relation to the Resort Development Zone at Mauds Landing, not to preclude the subdivision and development of land for residential purposes.
(CCMD Pty Ltd 2002)
There is provision in the proposal for incidental recreational, tourist and commercial facilities consistent with the anticipated needs of visitors to the location as well as a Services Area for the provision of utilities services such as wastewater treatment, landfill, gas, power and light industrial activities (CCMD Pty Ltd 2002).
3.4 Main Players involved
State and local government agencies
* Western Australian Museum * Department of Conservation & Land Management
* Fisheries Western Australia * Marine Parks & Reserves Authority
* Main Roads Western Australia * Department of Transport
* Ministry for Planning * Water & Rivers Commission
* Department of Minerals & Energy * Gascoyne Development Commission
* Aboriginal Affairs Department * Water Corporation
* Shire of Carnarvon * Shire of Exmouth
* Department of Environmental Protection
Organisations:
* WA Naturalists’ Club * Active Community Environmentalists
* Busselton-Dunsborough Environment Centre * Conservation Council of Western Australia
* Recfishwest * Australian Marine Conservation Society WA
* NSW Field Ornithologists Club Inc * Greenpeace Australia Ltd
* Carnarvon Tree Society * Humane Society International
* Australian Conservation Foundation * Institution of Engineers, Australia
* Boating Western Australia Inc * Ningaloo Action Group
4. Assessment
4.1 Background into the Bellagio Principles
The Bellagio principle was the method used for assessing the level of sustainability of CCMD’s proposal. This method was selected because of its high practicality and simplicity. Its ease of application is also a high factor of selecting this method and is one of the most important factors for sustainable development evaluations. This is reinforced by Becker (2000) who states that ‘sustainable development evaluations are only as effective as their application’
The Bellagio principles deal with four aspects of assessing progress towards sustainable development.
- Establishing a vision of sustainable development and clear goals that define that vision. (principle 1)
- The content and the need to merge a sense of the overall system with a practical focus on current priority issues (principles 2-5)
- The key issues of the process of assessment (principles 6-8)
- The necessity for establishing a continuing capacity for assessment (principles 9 & 10)
Hardi & Zdan (1997) further states that these principles are ‘interrelated and should be applied as a complete set and are intended for use in starting and improving assessment activities’.
4.2 Assessment of the proposal using the Bellagio Principle
- GUIDING VISION AND GOALS
The Specific Area Marine Management Plan, devised by the collaboration of 3 agencies, namely CCMD, CALM and Fisheries WA does provides a clear vision of sustainable development and goals that define that vision.
The Vision
“That within the five years following the structural completion of the Coral Coast Resort Development, the marine flora and fauna, their support habitats and water quality within the development Impact Area and Mauds Specific Management Area adjacent to the development will be in the same or better condition than in the year of initial implementation.”(CCMD 2002a)
The Goals in achieving the vision were based on conservation, identifying recreational and commercial uses, and science & education of the public.
By having an effective and clear vision and a structure plan of how to achieve this vision, CCMD found a way to resolve the conflict of limiting the impact the development would have on Ningaloo Reef. CCMD proposed several ways of conserving the natural environment such as;
- Investing an extra $1,000,000 on conserving the natural environment of Ningaloo Reef and marine wildlife
- Reducing the size of the development from 221 ha to 132 ha
- Reducing the number of residential units from 1315 to 370.
- Rejecting the idea of a golf course and finally;
- Reducing the peak population numbers from 5130 to 2025.
In addition, CCMD reduced the amount of water required to .5 million KL from a massive 2.2 million KL (CCMD 2000a). This was a major factor in achieving the rights to the development since the minister for environment rejected the first proposal on grounds of several water issues.
The possible direct physical impacts of the proposal will be managed through the design, location, infrastructure and management programs identified in the project design. In keeping with sustainable design, CCMD have also made a commitment to supply utilities such as landfill, power and sewerage.
Thus CCMD did provide a clear vision of sustainable development as they’re outcomes were based on limiting damage to the environment through sustainable design, whilst enhancing the social and economic aspects of the region.
A clear sense of direction is evident in this section due to the well described vision, which is supported by the goals. Development is mentioned in the vision while also promoting information on how to achieve this vision (direction). The well structured vision and goals helped the developers resolve conflicts such as the one mentioned above.
2. HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Since the first proposal put forward by CCMD was rejected, CCMD worked closely with government to review the project and address areas of concern raised with the government and community. The current proposal achieves a better holistic perspective than the first as the lacking elements in the 1st proposal are included in the second. Issues such as the size of the proposal, its impacts on the reef and tourism are described in more detail in the second proposal
The current proposal specifically addresses all of the concerns raised by Government regarding the previous proposal and complies fully with the guidelines set by the Cabinet.
It seems that an overall holistic perspective is shown in the CCMD’s proposal as the plan describes, evaluates and discusses the impacts the resort will have on all the aspects that will be affected such as the economy, environmentally and socially. CCMD conclude that the development will have no major impact on the environment and this statement is supported the EPA who found the proposal to be ‘environmentally sustainable and should be allowed to proceed (CCMD Pty Ltd 2002).
A document entitled ‘summary of commitments’ is attached to the proposal made by CCMD. This document contains 51 specific environmental factors that development of the Coral Coast Resort might impact on. Subsequently, CCMD have proposed an environmental management plan for each of the factors noted, and have guaranteed their well-being.
Having a holistic perspective allowed CCMD to deal with uncertainty issues more effectively through the development of ‘contingency plans’.
3: ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
The social, environmental, and ecological impacts that the development will have on Mauds Landing are discussed in detail in the report.
Social
- Increased cultural and employment opportunities for the local Aboriginal community
- Residents will be provided with a wider range of goods and services within close proximity to Mauds Landing.
Economic
From an economic and financial perspective, there are considerable direct benefits to the locality and the broader region resulting from the construction and operation of the resort.
These benefits include;
- the ability to provide full service infrastructure to the existing Coral Bay community
- increased cultural and employment opportunities for local Aboriginal communities;
- increased local employment opportunities, broadening and diversifying the local economy.
Ecological
- Ningaloo Marine Park supports about 33 species of sea birds, 13 of which are resident, while the other 20 migrate through the area or are occasional visitors (www.save-ningaloo.com).
- The Ningaloo Reef Tract also has a diverse and abundant shark and ray population
- The construction of an inland marina so as to cause minimal impact on the marine environment.
- The development of the ‘summary of commitments’ document provides management plans and an outline of predicted outcomes for specific environmental factors that will be impacted on in the development.
4. ADEQUATE SCOPE
N/A
5. PRACTICAL FOCUS
Practical focus is evident in CCMD’s proposal but to a minimal degree. The ‘summary of commitments’ links the vision and goals to indicators and assessment criteria but is quite lengthy which is a negative. The summary of commitments states the environmental factor, the objective of the EPA towards that factor, the potential impact, the predicted outcome and environmental management techniques that CCMD will use to conserve the environment.
The current proposal provides a limited number of key issues for analysis. The EPA has decided on the following 4 main issues based on CCMD’s report and from public submissions received;
1) Impacts associated with the proposal’s footprint – discussion on this issue summarises the suite of biophysical and pollution impacts directly associated with constructed elements of the proposal;
2) Potential off-site marine impacts – the potential impacts of people’s activities on the environmental attributes of the Ningaloo Marine Park;
3) Potential off-site terrestrial impacts - the potential impacts of people’s activities on the environmental attributes of coastal areas adjacent to the proposal; and
4) Long-term management – the management arrangements proposed by the proponent and its authority to undertake on-going management of the potential environmental consequences of the proposal.
(CCMD Pty Ltd 2002)
6. OPENNESS
The consultation process took place in 4 parts;
- stakeholder meetings
- Newspaper media releases
- Public information and display
- Discussions with landowners adjacent to the proposed site
(CCMD 2000a)
CCMD held a series of public information displays in the 3 main towns in the Gascyone Region, namely Carnarvon, Exmouth and Coral Bay. The display was administered and run by project team members who were also available to discuss aspects of the project and answer any public questions.
The display provided the public with information regarding;
- Overview of the proposal
- The proposed location and structure plans for development
- Description of project design techniques to limit impact on the environment and Ningaloo Reef
Furthermore, an attendance and comment record sheet was established to assist in recording public views and suggestions to be later considered in refining the project.
A web page () was also established both to inform and to seek comment from the public.
Principal issues of concern identified by members of the community are publicized in the report. Several aspects of the project were modified to accommodate ideas and concerns of the public.
“The consultation process has proved to be very effective in developing a more environmentally sound project with broader community acceptance” (CCMD 2000a p.20)
7. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Effective communication is an important tool used by developers to resolve conflict. Cultural issues for example, are highly sensitive in Australia and Aboriginal Native agreements must be received before development on Aboriginal land.
The Baiyungu people, Coral Bays’ traditional Aboriginal landowners signed an agreement to support development of 250 ha of crown land by CCMD. As part of the agreement, the terms of which are confidential, Coral Coast will provide employment and training opportunities, protect Aboriginal heritage and promote and develop cultural tourism (Stevens 2000).
This is a direct result of effective communication as Stevens (2000) states that ‘the native title agreement was the result of six months negotiation between the developers and the Baiyungu people.’
This is an excellent example of effective communication used by CCMD managed to avoid conflict and gain supporters to the project, and most importantly, permission to develop on the land.
8. BROAD PARTICIPATION
An essential feature of any major development project is the need to consult and address relevant issues with the wider community (Becker 2004).
CCMD reinforce the importance of this issue by keeping the existing residents of the area, businesses, landowners, local authorities and interest groups fully informed about the proposed development of Coral Coast Resort since its beginning.
Stake holder meetings were held with a variety of key stakeholders to discuss the project, its progress and to receive feedback from the stakeholders, namely;
- Shire of Carnarvon
- Shire of Exmouth
- Fisheries WA
- Main Roads WA
- Aboriginal Affairs Department
- Department of Transport
“The involvement of the community in developing the proposal has led to the modification of several aspects of the project to accommodate ideas and concerns of the public…. and has proved to be very effective in developing a more environmentally sound project with broader community acceptance.” (CCMD 2000a, p. 20)
However, pressure groups such as Save Ningaloo were not open to the idea of the resort. This and other non- government, environmentalist groups had a strong objection to any type of medium to large development as they believed it will definitely put the future of Ningaloo Reef and its amenities in jeopardy.
9. ONGOING ASSESSMENT
CCMD has identified that Mauds Landing is a perfect site to promote the unique natural features of this area, such as Ningaloo Reef, whilst also improving the region’s economy base in terms by diversifying the economy and providing local employment opportunities by creating a tourist destination.
The growing ‘ecotourism’ market is particularly important in generating economic and social benefits for regional areas (CCMD 2000a). In 1996 tourism contributed approximately $60 million to the regional economy.
The proposal aims to fulfill so much of the demand for recreation by members of the public as is consistent with the proper conservation and restoration of the natural environment, and the protection of native flora and fauna
In order to achieve this vision and successfully manage Ningaloo Marine Park, CCMD have identified that comprehensive long term monitoring programs must be established. CCMD have recognized that these long term monitoring programs must;
- provide information natural variability and long term trends in key biological communities
- provide information natural variability trends in key chemical and physical parameters within the environment; and
- Identify undesirable trends resulting from human activities in time for remedial management action to be effectively implemented.
(CCMD Pty Ltd 2002)
The collaboration between CCMD and CALM and Fisheries WA also ensures that ongoing assessment will take place.
10. INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY
CCMD collaborated with CALM and Fisheries WA in order to gain professional advice to fulfil their commitment of ‘maintaining the ecological, function, abundance, species diversity and geographical diversity of corals’ in Mauds Landing (CCMD 2000a, p.145).
This resulted in a positive outcome as CCMD in consultation with CALM and Fisheries WA developed and implemented a Specific Area Marine Management Plan (SAMMP) which allowed them to stick to their commitment.
In order for the SAMMP to be effective, it had to include the following;
- a detailed habitat mapping of sea water that will be affected by the development
- water quality measurement
- development of management strategies and priorities for management
- Had to be implemented prior to breakwater materials being placed.
(CCMD Pty Ltd 2002)
In addition to this, CCMD proposed to join the Natural Resources Management with CALM and Fisheries WA in order to provide resources for environmental and resource management in the Ningaloo Marine Park.
5. Recommendations
- Since the proposal will greatly increase the number of tourists in the area, expansion of the current tourist facilities must be provided by the proponent. These facilities include road improvements between Coral Bay and Mauds Landing, provision of wastewater treatment infrastructure and public drinking water should be assessed and improved if possible.
- CCMD should assign an organisation such as CALM to provide officers to limit illegal camping in the area and to supervise Ningaloo Reef to make sure no damage is done to the reef and habitats. Fines should be imposed and serious consequences should be given to tourists who are found to damage the area.
- Public education in the form of signs, flyers and pamphlets should be handed out to tourists as well as locals to protect the reef.
- Confirmation that CCMD are financially capable to deliver any commitments to support environmental management in the long-term.
- Further consultation with the public who are against the proposal. These consultations should voice the public’s views and CCMD should then discuss ways of how to solve the public’s considerations regarding Ningaloo Reef. This should be held in the Perth CBD as the majority of people rallying against the proposal were from that area and were unaware of most of CCMD’s commitments to protect the Ningaloo Reef.
6. Conclusion
Sustainability assessments of proposals before they are implemented are necessary in determining the level of impact the development will have on the region’s economy, character and environment. CCMD’s proposal to develop a tourist resort to cater for the increase in tourists expected in the region was found to be sustainable, however due to public scrutiny, the proposal was rejected. The Bellagio Principles identifies that public participation is the most important factor to transforming a proposal to a reality. This is reinforced in the report as CCMD failed to provide an adequate scope of the proposal which would have helped in identifying the real factor in achieving the development, which was public consultation. Public consultation only held place in the surrounding region which would be affected in the proposal. CCMD failed to identify that the majority of people against the resort lived in the Perth metro region. A public consultation conference held in the CBD for example would have greatly helped CCMD in establishing effective communication and thus less support against the proposal which ultimately led the Premier to reject the proposal.
Reference List:
Becker 2004, Making sustainable development evaluations work, Sustainable development journal; Nov 2004: 12. 4 page 200, retrieved from proquest global database
Bowman Bishaw Gorham 1995, ‘public environmental review: coral coast resort’, Bowman Bishaw Gorham, West Perth, W.A.
CCMD 2000 (A), Coral coast resort public environmental review document: volume 1, ATA Environmental Specialists, W.A.
CCMD 2000 (B), Coral coast resort public environmental review document: volume 2, ATA Environmental Specialists, W.A.
CCMD Pty Ltd 2002, Report and recommendations of the Environmental Protection Authority, Environmental Protection Authority, Perth W.A.
Crockett 2000, Tourism leads in overseas interest - Western Australia - THE SUCCESS STORY, retrieved on 20th April 2007 from Factiva online database.
Hardi & Zdan 1997, Assessing sustainable development: principles in practice, The international institute for sustainable development, Canada
History of Coral Bay, retrieved 18th April 2007 from
Jewel 2000, Alconbury health impact assessment report, Cambridge NHS, Cambridge, UK
Stevens 2000, Aborigines Sign Over Land For Marine Resort, retrieved on 20th April 2007 from Factiva online database.
