The uniquely beautiful Tasmanian coastal community of Hawley Beach and its remnant native woodland is under threat from the Latrobe Council's imminent construction of a 2.5 metre wide concrete shared pathway through its fragile foreshore.

Safety and accessibility are cited by Council as the main motivators for constructing this path; yet, there has been no traffic survey done to warrant construction and current research shows that a shared path (as opposed to a dedicated footpath) may actually hinder user safety, particularly that of the young, the elderly, those with mobility issues and those with dogs.

A narrower path would far better serve the community and prevent more coastal erosion. This could be constructed from more environmentally and aesthetically preferable materials without impacting remaining vegetation.

The Council's proposal raises significant environmental and aesthetic concerns for both residents and visitors.

The footpath will:

• encroach on the beautiful foreshore in places. Some areas of the foreshore are ~ 3 metres wide - there will be road, concrete path, beach
• result in significant vegetation removal in others which will exacerbate foreshore erosion and negatively impact two threatened species
• reduce the availability of parking on the grass verge areas that is needed during the busy summer season. The community has not been consulted on a parking plan

IS THIS THE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT WE WANT? IS THIS THE TASMANIA WE WANT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS?

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO STAND WITH THE HAWLEY BEACH PROTECTION ASSOCIATION AND SAY NO TO THE LATROBE COUNCIL