Point Vernon Foreshore Enhancement Group in Point Vernon, Queensland, Australia | Beach

Point Vernon Foreshore Enhancement Group

Locality: Point Vernon, Queensland, Australia

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25.01.2022 https://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au//view-blo/4143192/ Fraser Coast Chronicle article: JESSICA GREWAL 20th Nov 2020 1:30 AM A VIEW-BLOCKING foreshore fence and ‘educational’ banner now surround tree lines at Point Vernon.... This is after a spate of tree poisoning in the area which peaked with a decision from the council to put up the controversial fence with signage at the bottom of Mant St. Councillors were divided with a 6-5 vote in favour in August. The fence lines sit on both sides of the Esplanade at Gataker’s Bay. The debate followed community consultation where 450 people shared their thoughts on what the council should do about the illegal destruction of trees in the area. The results showed 90 per cent of respondents were ‘somewhat concerned’ to ‘really concerned’ about incidents of illegal vegetation damage on the foreshore. A total of 55 per cent of respondents believed the Mant St area should be rehabilitated while 56 per cent (248 respondents) supported draping mesh panels printed with information on the temporary fencing. The council has since gone ahead with the latter plan and says the fences will limit access to the sites, especially when there is a danger from falling branches and they will protect seedlings planted to revegetate the sites. Fraser Coast Regional Councillor David Lewis said independent soil analysis of the sites found traces of a residual herbicide and the fence would help ensure public safety while the area was rehabilitated. The poison is continuing to kill vegetation on the sites, he said It is intended that the fence will remain until new trees we plant on the site reach the height of the fence. That should take about two years. An educational banner has been attached to the fence to raise awareness within the broader community about illegal tree destruction on council reserves. It is estimated that the rehabilitation of the area will cost at least $40,000. That includes soil testing, replanting and establishing the new trees. On the beachside of the Esplanade, the fence surrounds a 25-metre strip of foreshore where the vegetation has been gradually getting thinner and thinner. We’re pretty sure these are targeted attacks because soil analysis found traces of herbicide and even the replanted trees were destroyed, Cr David Lewis said. The fences are the latest council response to the destruction of trees at a number of sites along the Hervey Bay Esplanade. Unfortunately there is a history of vegetation damage along the Hervey Bay foreshore where trees have been cut down or poisoned, Cr Lewis said. We hope the education material on the fence will draw attention to the vandalism of trees and vegetation on council reserves.

24.01.2022 Malcolm Quinn here from the Hervey Bay Advertiser newspaper. If you are a resident concerned about the Mant Street fence and would like to appear in a story on this issue, in our next edition, please direct message me.... Hervey Bay Advertiser Malcolm Quinn - Real Estate Leader at Prime Agents

20.01.2022 Council has installed there fencing on Mant st

14.01.2022 Council are putting up the Mant st Temporary fence issue at this Wednesdays council meeting 26th August. They are still recommending to install a 2.1 metre fence in the Mant st area. If you want a say in this perhaps attend the meeting or contact a councillor. https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au//ordinary-meeting-no-8-

11.01.2022 Open Space Strategy- Council is inviting the community to have their say on the development of the Fraser Coast Open Space Strategy.

10.01.2022 ‘It’s an insult’: Residents fuming over foreshore fence CHRISTIAN BERECHREE 31st Aug 2020 3:00 AM FOR LYN and Bill Longstaff, a fence blocking block their prized view of Hervey Bay is more than a "minor inconvenience".... The long-time Mant Street, Point Vernon residents spoke to the Chronicle after Fraser Coast Regional Council voted to erect the 2.1m fence in an effort to stop illegal tree poisoning in the area. Lyn took issue with Councillor David Lewis' comments that the fence would be a "minor inconvenience" for residents in the area. "For Councillor Lewis to say that this fence will be a 'minor inconvenience' is an insult and totally untrue," she said. "Why should we have to look at this fence when we have done nothing wrong, we took no part in the demise of these trees and the council has not accused us of killing trees, yet they think they have the right to infringe on our peaceful existence?" The fence prompted a long and spirited debate in last week's council meeting, with Cr Lewis and Councillor Denis Chapman at times facing off over the issue. Cr Chapman argued the fence would "punish" innocent residents for the actions of a few. He said retirees in the community had put their life-savings into their homes and deserved to enjoy the lifestyle the exclusive area offered. Cr Lewis hit back, saying the fence would not punish but educate people. He said those who experienced the "minor inconvenience" of having their view obstructed by the fence should consider, "is it too much to ask?" Cr Lewis said the council had been trying to solve the tree poisoning problem for years and it was "not good enough" to say someone else had to come up with a solution. He said he did not want to "hurt the innocent" and wanted the fence to remain for as short a time as possible. Lyn questioned how long it would need to stay, saying it was possible some older residents my not live to see the fence pulled down. "Are the residents to look at this fence for the two, four, eight or however many years they might have left?" Lyn asked. She also questioned why Mant Street had been specifically chosen for the fence solution. "There are many other areas of dead trees along our Esplanade that the council is aware of and more recently in Toogoom, yet they pick our street," she said. Councillors voted 6-5 to erect the fence.

04.01.2022 MEDIA RELEASE 26 August 2020 Council takes on illegal tree destruction ... The people have spoken fence off the section between Mant Street and the Esplanade in Hervey Bay where trees were illegally poisoned, and replant. Cr David Lewis said almost 450 people responded to a Fraser Coast Regional Council call for feedback on how it should respond to illegal destruction of trees in parks and reserves, in particular Mant Street. I am pleased with the response. The destruction of trees in Council parks and reserves, especially along the Hervey Bay foreshore, has gone on for too long, he said. Residents have been calling for action and the response to the survey indicates that they are behind Council. Council received 446 formal responses to the survey. The results showed: 90% of respondents were ‘somewhat concerned’ to ‘really concerned’ about incidents of illegal vegetation damage on the foreshore. 55% of respondents believed the Mant Street area should be rehabilitated; 56% (248 respondents) supported draping mesh panels printed with information on the temporary fencing, and; 8% considered illegal damage and poisoning of vegetation to be appropriate and acceptable. While the survey indicated residents were not satisfied that offenders were not held accountable, and there was potential for residents adjacent to the poison site to be unfairly punished, there was consistent support for Council’s response to tree destruction on Council parks and reserves. They want Council to enforce its policies, and they want fines for people caught damaging trees increased. As part of the rehabilitation of the Mant Street site, in accordance with the policy on Illegal Vegetation Damage on Council Managed Land, a 2.1metre-high temporary-fence will be erected around the damaged area in Mant Street. The temporary fencing will have a printed mesh cover installed on to it which explains that illegal vegetation damage has occurred at this location and information about the importance of native vegetation. The fence will remain in place until the replanted vegetation reaches 2.1 metres high.

01.01.2022 update on Coastal Futures: Planning Our Changing Coastline