Development in flood-affected areas

The management of flood-affected land is, primarily, the responsibility of Council.

We aim to reduce private and public losses, as well as the liability on individual owners and occupiers of flood-affected land. At the same time, we recognise the benefits flowing from the use, occupation and development of flood-affected land.

We manage flood-affected land by:

• Conducting studies to identify areas of high and low risk
• Developing management plans that provide specific measures that are appropriate to those areas
• Placing conditions on major renovations and new developments on flood-prone land to minimise the impact of flooding

Council has completed floodplain risk management studies and plans(PDF, 2MB) for major catchments. Flooding controls that apply to development within specific land-use zones are detailed in the Lake Macquarie Development Control Plan 2014.