Pittwater residents concerned by houseboat policy
A Pittwater residents’ group is in talks with the State Government to improve houseboat regulations, following concerns the current policy could see an increase in local moorings and lacks enforcement.
The Bayview Church Point Residents Association (BCPRA) is in discussions with local MP Rob Stokes about the NSW Houseboat Access Policy, unveiled in October last year.
The group is concerned that the numbers of houseboats on Pittwater ‘may escalate quickly’ after the policy sparked marketing material from a local boating business claiming residents ‘can now have [a houseboat] anywhere’.
It is illegal to live permanently on a houseboat in NSW, however vessels can be anchored for up to 28 days in one location with a mooring limit of 90 days per year total.
NSW maritime boating officers are responsible for the enforcement of these time limits and other regulations, including those relating to the illegal disposal of waste and impacts to visual amenity.
However, BCPRA says officers have indicated it is often ‘not possible’ to enforce these provisions due to a lack of evidence when breaches occur.
As such, the group has put several recommendations forward to Mr Stokes, including that the number of moorings on Pittwater be limited and that a development application type process be established for mooring licences.
The association says it would like this process to require houseboat owners to present a waste management plan and consult locals on the impacts to visual amenity.
A DA-style process would also allow residents to comment on any future houseboat rentals, such as Airbnbs.
Mr Stokes says the houseboat situation in Pittwater has been a ‘perennial problem’, with correct waste disposal a particular issue.
“We do have lots of pump out facilities around Pittwater, but the lived experience that people have said is that often people won’t use pump outs. They’ll just dispose their waste in the water, which is illegal,” he says.
“The challenge of course is enforcement. Because without complaints, no one is really going to know.”
Mr Stokes says he has taken BCPRA’s recommendations to the NSW Minister for Transport and is currently awaiting his response.
“I am keen to take up those issues because Pittwater is actually the busiest recreational port in the country. So, we can’t just keep having more and more moorings and more and more activity on the waterway, because we’ll just end up loving it to death.”