OLD Bar Sand Replenishment Group (OBSRG) branded the State government decision to exclude the revetment wall from the Greater Taree Coastal Zone Management Plan as "a wise decision because it was not the best option for Old Bar."
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OBSRG spokesperson, Elaine Pearce contends the "revetment wall would work against nature" and that "council's proposal was an ill-conceived plan".
"It was obvious from the community perspective that it was the wrong approach and it was not wanted," Ms Pearce said.
"We want to see an off-shore reef that addresses the erosion issue in an environmental and ecological manner."
Ms Pearce highlighted last week's comments by the chair of the NSW Coastal Panel, Angus Gordon that in part, "it is important for local government to have options that work with, rather than against, the natural coastal processes and hazards at play along the NSW coastline."
"Our plan does that. We want to protect our beach. We want to protect our environment. We want to protect our community," Ms Pearce said.
"We are working with nature whereas the revetment wall would work against nature."
The minister's decision will again prompt OBSRG to request the Office of Environment and Heritage examine a peer review done by Water Research Laboratories, a division of the University of NSW, of the group's offshore reef feasibility study created by Dr Shaw Mead.
According to Ms Pearce, the peer review of its feasibility study was "negative and contained many inaccuracies".
"Dr Mead responded to those errors in the peer review of his plan and ever since we have asked the minister's office to review the peer review, and they refuse to do so," she explained.
"They should address Dr Mead's corrections because that's why council keeps refusing to look at our proposal, they keep throwing the minister's response based on that peer review back in our face."
