Property developers will have clearer and more detailed information about requirements for building on flood-prone land in Coffs Harbour under draft changes to a document now on public exhibition.
The Coffs Harbour Development Control Plan (DCP) 2015 (Part 4E) has been reviewed and amendments are proposed to ensure it remains effective and aligns with the NSW flood planning framework, the Council said in a statement today.
The review has also seen the creation of a Special Flood Considerations Area Map which is based on flood mapping from previous Council-endorsed flood studies.
The proposed changes to the DCP are informed in part by recommendations from the endorsed floodplain risk management plans.
“The draft amendments aim to provide greater certainty for developers in meeting flood planning controls and this in turn could lead to faster development application assessments in flood-prone areas,” said City Planning and Communities Acting Director, Ian Fitzgibbon.
“The review will also see more detailed flood maps made available online. These maps take a number of flood studies into account and will help residents better understand flood risks and planning rules.”
The draft DCP amendment defines Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) as the chance of a flood of a given or larger size occurring in any one year, usually expressed as a percentage. For example, a one per cent AEP flood has a 1% chance of being reached or exceeded in any given year.
“While our detention basins do reduce the severity and impact of flooding along Coffs Creek, the risk is always there and flooding can cause significant personal and economic loss,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“Flood planning controls aim to minimise the risk to life and property associated with the use and development of land and the aim of this recent review is to ensure our rules are fit-for-purpose.”
View the draft Flood Planning Controls here. Submissions close on 6 October.
