Shock resignation of council's coastal scientist…

Shock resignation of council's coastal scientist erodes Stockton beach plan

DEPARTED: City of Newcastle's senior environmental strategist Mark Manning, who was overseeing a long-term plan to address Stockton beach erosion, has quit three months before the plan was due to be submitted.

CITY of Newcastle's senior coastal scientist, tasked with overseeing a plan to identify a long-term solution for Stockton's erosion crisis, has quit.

The Newcastle Herald understands council's senior strategist environment, Mark Manning, resigned last week.

Mr Manning's shock departure, just three months out from when the Coastal Management Plan (CMP) is due to be submitted to the NSW government, has left many questioning what caused him to leave.

A City of Newcastle spokesman declined to comment on Mr Manning's departure or what prompted it.

"City of Newcastle does not comment on internal staffing matters," he said. The Newcastle Herald was unable to contact Mr Manning.

It's understood council's environment asset program coordinator Karenne Jurd will now oversee the CMP.

Fifth-generation Stockton resident Lucas Gresham said it was curious that Mr Manning would leave at such a critical time in the coastal management process.

The local businessman, who has been a vocal advocate for a long-term solution to the erosion crisis, questioned what it would mean for the CMP.

"There is no doubt he must have been under a lot of pressure," Mr Gresham said. "This certainly doesn't give a great deal of confidence that he has left, you have to question what is going on behind the scenes."

Mr Gresham said he was at a Stockton Community Liaison Group (SCLG) meeting last month where council was questioned about how much of a NSW government grant it had spent to assist in putting the CMP together.

"The answer given was that they had only spent $8000 of the $200,000 grant," Mr Gresham said. "If they are understaffed hopefully some of that is being spent on assisting with manpower."

In February, Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock told City of Newcastle it must complete the CMP by June 30, bringing forward the deadline by six months.

The new deadline has raised serious community concern about the quality of the multi-stage plan and City of Newcastle's ability to fully complete it. A City of Newcastle spokesman confirmed that the deadline change would mean the plan would be completed on a "condensed scale".

At last month's SCLG meeting, Mr Manning said clarification had been sought from Ms Hancock's office on how the plan was to be completed in such a short timeframe, but he told the meeting that remained "unexplained".

A City of Newcastle spokesman said it was working "collaboratively" with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to deliver the CMP on time.

Do you know more? Donna.page@newcastleherald.com.au

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