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Community Consultation Report – Coogee Maritime Trail

Client name City of Cockburn
Year 2024
Work completed Government and stakeholder engagement, Public relations, and specialist communications
Team Renée Wilkinson

Overview

The City of Cockburn is home to the increasingly popular Coogee Maritime Trail, an underwater dive and snorkel trail at the northern end of Coogee Beach.

The City had received reports that there had been an increase in the number of vessels visiting the area and some anchoring in the incorrect places.

In response, the City applied for and received grant funding to install three seasonal moorings in the boating area near the trail. This initiative aimed to minimise risks to swimmers and reduce damage caused by boat anchors by encouraging vessels to stay in designated areas. However, this proposal created a divide in the community and resulted in Council reversing a decision pending further community consultation.

Challenge

Purple was engaged to undertake the analysis of the Community Consultation online survey responses to understand the findings on stakeholder support and opposition in relation to the proposals. It was intended that the insights gained through the consultation process would be used by the City to:

Understand if the community support the trial moorings at Coogee Beach near Coogee Maritime Trail.
Gauge community interest for the City to lobby DoT to change the 8-knot area into a non-motorised vessel area.

Solution

The online survey was available on the City’s Comment on Cockburn website and was open for a one-month period. In consideration of diverse accessibility needs and expectations, respondents could also participate via hard copy through the Coolbellup, Spearwood and Success Libraries, Marina Office and Administration Building.

Results

An 18-page Consultation Outcomes Report was delivered to the City and published on their webpage. This report outlined the project background, consultation project, and outcomes of the consultation process, including stakeholder groupings, respondent demographics and a summary of the key findings.

Stakeholder consultation was deemed a success. During the one-month consultation period, the project received the following activity.

100

individuals visited the online survey page

100

submissions were received (engaged participants)

100

participants downloaded a document (informed participants)

100

visited multiple project pages (informed participants)

1000

visited at least one project page (aware participants)

responses were received via email