Flood-mapping to lead TRC planning

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council yesterday gave the initial nod to one of the final stages of work associated with enhanced planning for flood mitigation in the region.

As a result of the significant flood event across the Toowoomba region in December 2010 and January 2011, the council commissioned a number of flood studies to better understand how flooding impacts our communities.

Mayor Paul Antonio said the Flood Risk Assessment Planning Evaluation and Scheme Amendment project was now close to the end of an extensive five year process to better understand flood risk across the region and improve the way development with flood affected areas was regulated so that people and property were protected.

“The project’s main aim had been to improve flood risk management and raise community awareness about flood risks across the region,” he said. “These extensive studies of 35 locations are a foundation towards council’s long-term plan to manage and reduce the impacts of flooding and an essential step toward all stakeholders being better informed about the risk of a flood event in particular areas across the region.

“We’ve really taken the community on this journey. When council released the initial studies for public consultation late last year, close to 10,000 letters were issued to potentially affected property owners.

“We also held a number of public information sessions which were well attended and residents were able to comment via our online portal YourSay. Interestingly, an explanatory video about the mapping and what it meant for property owners was viewed on council’s website 35,000 times.”

Planning and Development Committee Chair Cr Chris Tait said the reports tabled yesterday in relation to Klein Creek at Highfields and Spring Creek in south-west Toowoomba had been remodelled after listening to residents and offer consistency with other mapping across the region.

An updated region-wide “general” study covering the broader region was also endorsed and replaced the state’s flood mapping, which was all that was available before the TRC’s more comprehensive study.

“This exhaustive process is now at the stage that flood risk mapping and planning controls can be finalised and a formal Planning Scheme amendment process commenced,” Cr Tait said.

“Whilst council continues to work with a smaller number of high risk areas that require more detailed and comprehensive planning and possible intervention, this latest milestone gives council and landowners much clearer information about the potential risk and what conditions must be satisfied for future development to proceed.”

The project’s main aim had been to improve flood risk management and raise community awareness about flood risks across the region.

— Mayor Paul Antonio