The Department of Regional NSW will take charge of the Stockton beach project in a move aimed at progressing works to restore sand to the eroded shore.
The Minns government will announce the change on Monday to further highlight its commitment to the long-running community campaign to save Stockton's beach from ruinous erosion.
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said the $6.2 million jointly funded federal government and City of Newcastle project had been "held back by a lack of clarity over who is responsible for fixing the problem".
"The NSW government inherited a project that has been stuck in the 'too hard basket', but we have listened to community concerns and are now taking decisive action," Ms Moriarty said.
"The Department of Regional NSW will take charge as lead co-ordinator and use its expertise and experience to help get restoration works on track. We look forward to continuing to work with the City of Newcastle to advance the project."
In a fresh measure described as a way to "advance the project", Ms Moriarty will become the Stockton Beach Taskforce's chair.
The taskforce, established in 2020, will meet next month.
"The taskforce will work closely with the Department of Regional NSW to provide local advice and a community perspective on the urgent repair works and any challenges that arise," Ms Moriarty said.
Minister for the Hunter Tim Crakanthorp said the taskforce meeting will be the first held since June last year.
"Since being tasked with progressing the works funded by the Commonwealth grant, NSW Public Works has continued to progress necessary environmental approvals," Mr Crakanthorp said.
It had also worked with the Port of Newcastle to "understand and finalise dredging boundaries, approvals and licenses".
NSW Public Works, a state agency that sits within Ms Moriarty's department, is now preparing tenders for initial dredging works.
"It is timely for the taskforce to come together in the coming weeks and be updated on the new arrangements and the project's progress," Mr Crakanthorp said.
The agency will continue to be project manager for the restoration works, which involve "initial dredging and sand placement on the beach" and "investigations to find suitable sand options to support a long-term solution to erosion issues".
"Initial work will help create a blueprint for the Department of Planning and Environment to roll out the government's $21 million election commitment for longer-term mass sand nourishment at Stockton," Ms Moriarty said.
The taskforce includes City of Newcastle, Mr Crakanthorp [the Newcastle MP] and representatives of the NSW Coastal Council, Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Stockton Community Liaison Group.
Labor's $21 million election commitment, announced in February, was considered a major breakthrough after a decades-long community campaign.
Stockton has lost more than 10 million cubic metres of sand from its beach and the seabed has dropped seven metres due to erosion.
This has threatened homes, infrastructure and community assets.
Labor's commitment involved the new government leading the project through a memorandum of understanding with City of Newcastle.
Mr Crakanthorp said at the time that the project had been "caught up in bureaucracy" for too long.
It was also revealed before the election that the then Coalition government had unspent state coastal grant funding that could have been used to restore Stockton beach.
The Newcastle Herald launched its Save Our Stockton community campaign in 2019, giving a voice to residents and covering the science and politics of the issue.
Researchers say the cause of the erosion is Newcastle harbour breakwaters [state assets] and the progressive deepening of the shipping channel.
The breakwaters stop the drift of sand from south to north, which used to carry 41,000 cubic metres of sand annually to the beach.
It's estimated that between 1.8 million and 4.5 million cubic metres of sand is needed to renourish the beach.
The CMP estimated $21 million was needed for an initial offshore sand nourishment program that would deliver 2.4 million cubic metres of sand, followed by maintenance every decade.
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