Calls for an EIS

Hi everyone,

While we wait for the Review of Environmental Factors to be released:

There have been two very upsetting, racist  graffiti instances on the bridge. The matter is now with the police so we hope the perpetrators are found and prosecuted.

In case you don't receive Bermagui Community Forum emails this is their latest:

Cuttagee Bridge Environmental Impact Statement
 
The Restoration of Cuttagee Bridge Group has called on Bega Valley Shire Council to conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Cuttagee Bridge Renewal Project, not just rely on a lesser Review of Environmental Factors (REF).

The Restoration of Cuttagee Bridge Group wrote to Council on 10 August 2026 pointing out that as the project has grown in magnitude (400% larger including the temporary bridge vehicle access) it has become a major $30M infrastructure build that will have significant environmental impacts on north-east Cuttagee Lake and beachfront.

A Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for the Cuttagee Bridge project is currently being prepared by consultants NGH on behalf of Council and is not available for public comment and is not expected to be made public until after it is endorsed, if at all.

Why an EIS is warranted

The Restoration of Cuttagee Bridge Group considers the following significant issues warrant a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be prepared as detailed in their submission:

1. Economic: the role of tourism is a major income earner for businesses in Bermagui and Tathra and in part rely on the uniqueness of the area with its historic single lane timber bridges of which Cuttagee Bridge is one of the most impressive.

2. Environmental: the new Bridge is designed in isolation from the rest of the road, with no consideration of coastal erosion or inundation and no Coastal Management Plan for the embayment. The road along Cuttagee Beach is in the “immediate almost certain erosion zone”. The Wildlife Protection Area has not been considered for shorebirds, migratory birds or fishing bats. There is no precinct plan for parking or pedestrian safety. Plus the scale of the construction footprint will be 400% greater than the current one in an environmentally sensitive estuary area.

3. Social: the traditional owners have not been fully consulted. There was no community consultation before the announcement of a two lane concrete bridge in 2021. Since then nearly 15,000 people have signed the change.org petition to save the Bridge, but have been ignored. Council eventually consulted with the community via surveys, but still took no notice of respondents’ strong preference for a single lane bridge.

Council Response

In their reply, Council maintain that Council are responsible for assessing the impact of its activities. The REF and its assessment of the potential environmental impacts of the project will be undertaken in accordance with NSW EP&A Regulations and other regulations and acts.

Council believe the REF will assess whether the project is likely to have a significant impact on the environment and whether there is a need for a full environmental impact statement.

A Plea for the Local Environment

It is hoped that Council adopt a fair minded approach in their analysis of the REF as to whether an EIS is required, given the pristine nature of the Cuttagee Lake estuary and the expected major impact of the project on the surrounding environment.