Mod 3 - Extension of wharf usage

l don’t think the basic infrastructure at Eden is equipped to deal with up to five thousand people coming off a ship as well as the normal flow of tourists that Eden experiences on any given day. I am not against the development of the port, however it should be done in a way that doesn’t ruin the ambiance of the town or any critical overload of the infrastructure.

While I am making a personal submission I am a volunteer on a the board of a local Eden community organisation. The Eden community is a dynamic and diverse population, and though the cruise industry has monetary benefits for some Eden businesses and craftspeople, the expansion of the wharf to enable larger cruise boats is a long way down the priority list for the town's wellbeing.
A much higher priority for regular townspeople, I believe, is the redevelopment of Snug Cove area. The Port Authority and the other agencies involved, have well and truly dropped the ball on this. Snug Cove was a vibrant area, with restaurants and cafes, a marine discovery area etc. Local people and domestic tourists were drawn to the area and it was source of employment of commerce for the community. Now there is just the Visitors Information Centre there - domestic and and interstate tourists and locals have been vocal about the lack of development on the Snug Cove refurbishment.
This is a much higher priority than any extension of facilities to enable larger ships to dock. The increased number of people on these vessels would overwhelm the shops and cafes in the town as well as the other activities for cruise passengers. In addition the huge ships are completely out of proportion to the size of the Port. The Eden port is a beautiful natural harbour that has already been extensively developed - any benefits from further development would not be commensurate with the degradation of the harbour.

Having lived in the immediate area of Snug Cove for all my life, I have experienced the growth of the port of Eden and the changes happening as a result of adjustment of administration and growth of the cruise ship visitation.
More recent demolition of infrastructure around the port has resulted in complete lack of hospitality services in the port precinct. Further changes to hospitality services in the town (demolitions of the Fishermen's Club) has left us with minimal restaurant and cafe facilities to service the current expected visitation by cruise passengers. To plan to increase the size of ships before addressing the complete lack of cafe and eateries available is unthinkable. This together with the need for more public toilet facilities is a recipe for disaster. I'm sure NSW Ports are aware of this situation ; there has been no consultation with the community regarding this ever present problem. We are now facing the third Summer holiday season without any permanent building in the Snug Cove area where even some basic fish and chips or a coffee can be enjoyed by the waterfront. There is a gravel "paddock" where five food outlets once stood. Our community deserves better than to be forgotten about for years, and asked to comment on a grand plan to bring 7,000 passengers at a time to our beautiful port where not even a drink can be purchased on the waterfront.
It would make more sense to start by supporting the installation of a marina behind the newly constructed wave attenuator and reinstate some port side buildings to house cafe's, restaurants for example. Lets looks after the 70,000 passengers we are expecting currently. When will these large ships be coming to Australia?? I think the priority should be to address the current short comings before looking too far into the future.

Eden is already overwhelmed by existing cruise ship visits. Eden is a small town which does not have the facilities to cater for a temporary trebling of its population.
Cruise ships are a major source of infectious diseases such as coronaviruses, Noro virus and Norwalk-like virus. It is not appropriate to allow them to visit a small town with limited and already-stretched medical services.
The assessment of particulate emissions (P 2.5 and P10) from the burning of bunker fuel by visiting ships is misleading and inadequate. The baseline emissions estimate was described as "conservative" because it used data from Port Kembla, a major industrial center. This means that the measured change in air quality in Eden is likely to be a gross underestimate because we do not have appropriate baseline data fro Eden.
An independent review of the costs and benefits of the existing cruise ship wharf facility should be undertaken before and modification is proposed.

The extension will allow larger cruise ships to dock and provide more options for cruising companies to provide an additional port to some cruises. Increasing available cruise ports, particularly in NSW will increase the number of varied cruises itineraries cruise companies can provide and thereby increase patronage on cruise and potential visitors to EDEN.

I object to the proposal to allow unlimited cruise ships to dock at Eden and I object to the dredging and alterations to the wharf to allow larger cruise ships to dock.
Reasons :
* environmental
- dredging will alter the underwater landscape
- this is a major whale migration route. Mother and baby whales in particular rest and feed in Twofold Bay. Larger and more cruise ships put whales at risk with collisions and pollution
- Twofold Bay is a mecca for fishing and diving - large and unlimited number of ships will seriously impact this
- pollution from cruise ships could seriously put at risk the mussel industry currently operating
* affects on local residents
- ships run their engines whilst in port with resulting diesel fumes and noise for the people living in Eden
- thousands of people disembarking at the one time will overcrowd the small town with little benefit. They do not use accommodation or main meals. As one resident said "they buy a cup of coffee and use the one toilet in town".
- the large ships carrying two or three thousand people brings a major risk of diseases into the town such as Covid, influenza and norovirus
The current size and number of cruise boats should not alter. The risks and problems outweigh the benefit to a small number of tour operators.
At stake is the pristine environment of Twofold Bay and surrounding ocean - a major problem for the migrating whales and whale watching tourist industry ; a major problem for the mussel and fishing industries and a major problem when small towns are overrun by thousands of people disgorged at one time from a large ship ; a major impact on the fumes and noise from docked ships.
I object to this project and hope it is rejected by the relevant Authority.

Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission on this project.
I object to this proposal on environmental and social grounds.
Environmental:
1. Marine ecosystem disturbance. The marine ecosystem has already been disturbed during the building of the Cruise ship wharf in Eden. Dredging and increasing the number of Cruise ships will create further disturbance and cause more destruction to the marine ecosystems in the harbour.
2. Noise pollution. The Tannoy announcements from Cruise ships and the background noise of the Cruise ships is very distressing and can be heard from many houses around the bay. An increase in Cruise ship numbers and time at berth will only increase the noise pollution for residents.
3. Light pollution. Cruise ships being berthed 24/7 and in increasing numbers will create light pollution during the night. This will have a negative impact on residents around the bay and for the animals in and around the harbour.
4. Air pollution. Current cruise ship emissions during the cruise ship season are evident in and around the bay when a Cruise ship is at berth. These noxious emissions (CO2, SO2 and NOx) are deleterious to the residents, animal and plant life around the bay in Eden. Increasing number of Cruise ships and increasing time at berth will only increase these emissions.

Social:
Eden is a small rural community of approximately 3400 people. Large cruise ships bring equal and sometimes more people than the number of residents into the town. This is too much of an influx of people for the town. On Cruise ship days town is crowded and uncomfortable. Increasing number of Cruise ships for increasing lengths of time will exacerbate this issue.

Thanks for your time

Increasing the number, size and period of berthing of cruise ships in Eden is detrimental to the well-being of the town.
Eden is located at the northern edge of an important remnant of coastal and escarpment forests.
The arrival of more, larger cruise ships is totally out of keeping with the true values of this area.
The waters and air will be adversely impacted by the pollution of burning bunker fuel and voiding bilge.
The town is small and 6,000 visitors arriving all at once is not viable.
The application states that there is a demand for this increase in numbers and size. Most people I've spoken to in town do not want it. Passengers have complained there is nothing to do in Eden so why stop there. Other ports around the world have banned these large ships - is that why they want to come here?
The cruise industry is a large- scale greenhouse gas emitter.
We don't want it here.

I consider this proposal to be a substantial 'over-reach' as the impact of one full cruise ship season using the terminal is yet to be assessed . The submission lists things that will be impacted :air/water/noise/traffic/community etc, but inadequate detail is provided as if this is of no importance. For instance will cruise ships have access to shore based electricity ?
Commercial and navy vessels are well facilitated on the other side side of the bay. Snug cove should not be over industrialised, leave it for more traditional usage and tourism. Nearly all the tourism to our region is about the natural environment, this experience should not spoilt !
I am object to this project.