Kempsey Riverside Precinct Foreshore Stabilisation

Summary

Kempsey Shire Council is starting a project to redesign Kempsey’s Riverside Park to enhance its usability and flood readiness.

The park is a popular and valuable community resource that hosts an array of popular community events.

Council is developing a new design for the riverbank foreshore that will:

• provide protection against erosion and remedy existing erosion
• increase the usability and enjoyment of the area
• improve Council's ability to restore the site after a flood.

One of the project's main aims is to improve the community’s opportunities to use the foreshore; community engagement will therefore be key to the project.

Next steps

The development of erosion protection and flood recovery measures involves many complex processes and engineering concepts. For this reason, technical requirements will also be a major deciding factor in designs.

In the first stage of the project, three preliminary options for the foreshore will be created. A preferred option will then be selected after these are presented to a community and stakeholder workshop arranged by external consultants, as well as being exhibited on Your Say Macleay for broad community response.

The results of this project will feed into the forthcoming Kempsey CBD Master Plan for the area. Further community engagement will happen around this plan as it is developed.

While Council is committed to the foreshore redesign, this is the first phase of a long-term project and no specific construction works are planned at this stage.