Crescent Head Foreshore - overview

The Crescent Head foreshore is an iconic space and the social backbone of the Crescent Head village, with cultural heritage significance for the Dunghutti Nation as well as high ecological values. 

There are a number of intersecting items within the Crescent Head reserve area, including the foreshore revitalisation plan (Crescent Head Public Domain Plan), Crown land Plan of Management, the Community Advisory Group, the revised plan for the Crescent Head Holiday Park, as well as existing projects of the Surf Life Saving Club forecourt remediation project, and the grant-funded Lloyd Park project. 

Crescent Head Master Plan

The Crescent Head Master Plan(PDF, 3MB) was adopted by Council in 2017 in consultation with the Crescent Head community. The Master Plan identifies and develops programs that invigorate the local economy, provide improved public spaces, protect and conserves public spaces for future generations, guard against inappropriate development, and safeguard the character and quality of life in Crescent Head.

Providing new and upgraded public facilities and infrastructure within and around the Crescent Head village is part of the Master Plan, including revitalising the foreshore.

Crescent Head Public Domain Plan (Foreshore Revitalisation Plan)

During 2019 and 2020, the Crescent Head Public Domain Plan was developed, in conjunction with the community, which included concept designs for the foreshore, as well as a range of other spaces across the Crescent Head village.

The Crescent Head Public Domain Plan was adopted by Council in October 2020 and is a significant part of the overall planning for Crescent Head.

This document identifies the challenges facing Crescent Head as keeping the place and its future familiar in ways that we like and in ways that are sustainable, and that the number one community priority is to conserve the natural beauty and environment of the village.

The plan suggested the best way of enhancing the foreshore is to increase public open space and improve connectivity between those spaces, which would mean removing some car parking areas.

This was met with differing ideas among the community, with some members preferring open green space and public facilities to enjoy the foreshore, while other segments of the community valued the availability of car spaces facing the ocean for parking, viewing the ocean and for gathering purposes.

In July 2021 Council resolved to undertake renewed community engagement and design development for the foreshore area and present a further report in 24 months, with more options balancing the need for green space and car parks on the foreshore, alongside playground design, and a skate park design and location, developed through a Community Advisory Group made up of representatives of relevant community groups.   

Council Managed Crown Land Plan of Management 

Council has a responsibility under the Crown Land Management Act 2016 to develop Plans of Management for all Crown land Reserves under the management of Kempsey Shire Council, which includes numerous parcels of land within Crescent Head.  

Check out our website for more information and to download the document.

These areas of Crown lands include the Crescent Head Country Club golf course and tennis courts, the Holiday Park, and the Crescent Head foreshore revitalisation project area. 

Council worked with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment since 2021 to develop the draft Plan of Management and the final draft was reviewed by the Minister, placed on public exhibition between 1 November-15 December 2023, and then subsequently approved and adopted by Council.

The Plan of Management acknowledges the presence of the golf course within the Crescent Head reserve and the lease held by the Crescent Head Country Club.

Council intends to renew the Crescent Head Country Club’s lease on the golf course and tennis court area and has entered into direct negotiations with the Club to finalise the terms of a new 21-year lease agreement.

The Plan also recognises the Five Headlands Coastal Trail, which is an important tourism initiative that will establish a walking trail from Point Plomer, through Crescent Head foreshore and onto Horseshoe Bay. 

As the Crown land manager, Council is required to consider a range of issues such as, but not limited to, compliance with relevant legislation, compatibility of the lease to the reserve purpose, consistency with the adopted Plan of Management, environmental impacts, term of the tenure and impacts from proposed tenure to the current and future use of the land. 

Crescent Head Community Advisory Group

The creation of the Community Advisory Group is seen as a vital part of developing a solution for the future of the foreshore that addresses the disparate views held within the Crescent Head community.

The goal of the Community Advisory Group is to find a position of compromise and collaboration that sees the development of a concept design recognising the various cultures of Crescent Head.

An expression of Interest process for membership of the Community Advisory Group has been completed, with membership of the group finalised and approved by Council in the June 2024 meeting.

Fourteen community representatives from the community were selected for the new community advisory group from 30 applicants, with one indigenous representative to be added. The group’s terms of reference were simultaneously expanded to include Willow Street car parking and parts of the Crescent Head Holiday Park footprint in the interests of inclusive community engagement.

The role of the Advisory Group is to:

• Provide representatives of the community with a forum to discuss the future of the foreshore with Council.

• Provide the community with a forum to discuss, workshop and develop options for the future use of the foreshore that can be provided to Council that represents the views of the broader Kempsey Shire community.

• Create a process for collaborative design with local people and those from the broader Local Government area to provide local knowledge and information to inform the decisions made about Crescent Head foreshore.

• Create better visibility of the project within the local community and throughout the Local Government area and provide feedback to Council and the community more broadly.

• Ensure the broader community has up-to-date and accurate information about the progress of the project.

• Identify risks and concerns regarding the project and seek to provide clarity and resolve them where possible.

For more information on the Advisory Group, its background, function, schedule and structure, download the Terms of Reference here(PDF, 704KB).

Crescent Head Holiday Park (revised concept plan)

At the August 2023 General Council meeting, Council resolved to revise the Crescent Holiday Park Concept Plan to reflect the new position of the maintenance shed, as well as new safari tents, additional cabins, and designs for a new reception, kiosk and Manager's residence.

The revised plan was publicly exhibited from 2 April-30 May 2024 for community feedback. As a result of that engagement, significant changes were made including the addition of camping sites in the northern most area of the park (Area 9) as part of a future public foreshore master plan, the removal of six cabins along Reserve Road (Area 5), and a commitment to identify additional parking across the village. 

To offset lost revenue, 11 additional cabins have been approved in the less prominent southern area of the park (Area 8), and the plan still retains most sites as powered camping sites (over 130 sites), compared to around 40 cabins and five safari tents.

Council approved the revised concept plan in the June 2024 meeting.

For more information on the approved concept plan, visit our website.

 

Lloyd Park

Council has developed designs to revitalise Lloyd Park and Main Street in Crescent Head, based upon Concept Designs from the 2020 Masterplan.

The project will be funded using a $1.15million grant from the NSW Government Stronger Country Communities Fund.

Lloyd Park is an important but under-used park located in the heart of the village, featuring a war memorial and mature trees.

The upgrades will provide new facilities, accessible parking, and improve pedestrian access to make the park a great place for the community.

For more information on the project visit our website.

Surf Life Saving Club Forecourt

In late 2020, the forecourt area of the Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC), which falls inside the foreshore area, was found to be contaminated with asbestos. 

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and SafeWork Australia were notified, who required that the site be registered and the area remediated.

A temporary solution was put in place using a synthetic turf material to protect the affected area.

A concept design for the site was prepared by landscape architects Plummer and Smith, taking into account both the Environmental Management Plan prepared for the site, and the Public Domain Plan, which covers the Crescent Head foreshore.

This plan was presented to Council and representatives of the SLSC Committee at the end of 2021, with design and operational issues raised by the club.

Discussions are ongoing with the SLSC.

Council is working through design and cost estimates for the project, as well as the logistics of disposing of the contaminated material from the site. Construction is expected to begin in 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

Location

Crescent Head, Crescent Head 2440  View Map