Draft Development Controls for Floodplain and Stormwater Management

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Consultation has concluded

Council is working on a review of chapters E13: Floodplain Management and E14: Stormwater Management of the Wollongong Development Control Plan (DCP) 2009, and we’re sharing our proposed changes with the community. The Wollongong DCP guides the way planning and design should happen for new developments in our area. It's mainly used by people such as engineers, architects and developers. Chapter E13 guides building on flood-prone land and Chapter E14 outlines the rules for designing ways to safely manage stormwater, e.g. drains or storage tanks.

It’s been 10 years since the two chapters on floodplain and stormwater management in the DCP were last reviewed, and there’s been new policies, studies and guidance on managing flood risk released in that time. We're not planning huge changes, we just want to make it easier for people to understand and use the DCP. We want to make some of the guidelines and definitions in chapters E13 and E14 clearer, and make sure new stormwater structures are safe for the community. We’ll also make sure the chapters are in line with the Wollongong Local Environment Plan (2009), which describes the different land zones in an area (such as residential, commercial or industrial land) and explains what type of development is allowed on each. In addition, we'll include some of the changes that were recommended in Council studies and plans, such as our Floodplain Risk Management Studies and the Coastal Zone Management Plan (2017).

Read the draft chapters, change logs and Frequently Asked Questions, then let us know whether you support the changes by sharing your feedback in the online form.

Feedback closes on Sunday 19 January 2020.

Council is working on a review of chapters E13: Floodplain Management and E14: Stormwater Management of the Wollongong Development Control Plan (DCP) 2009, and we’re sharing our proposed changes with the community. The Wollongong DCP guides the way planning and design should happen for new developments in our area. It's mainly used by people such as engineers, architects and developers. Chapter E13 guides building on flood-prone land and Chapter E14 outlines the rules for designing ways to safely manage stormwater, e.g. drains or storage tanks.

It’s been 10 years since the two chapters on floodplain and stormwater management in the DCP were last reviewed, and there’s been new policies, studies and guidance on managing flood risk released in that time. We're not planning huge changes, we just want to make it easier for people to understand and use the DCP. We want to make some of the guidelines and definitions in chapters E13 and E14 clearer, and make sure new stormwater structures are safe for the community. We’ll also make sure the chapters are in line with the Wollongong Local Environment Plan (2009), which describes the different land zones in an area (such as residential, commercial or industrial land) and explains what type of development is allowed on each. In addition, we'll include some of the changes that were recommended in Council studies and plans, such as our Floodplain Risk Management Studies and the Coastal Zone Management Plan (2017).

Read the draft chapters, change logs and Frequently Asked Questions, then let us know whether you support the changes by sharing your feedback in the online form.

Feedback closes on Sunday 19 January 2020.

Consultation has concluded
  • Revised DCP Chapters E13 and E14 adopted by Council

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    The revised Wollongong Development Control Plan 2009 chapters, E13: Floodplain Management and E14: Stormwater Management, were finalised following the public exhibition and a report went to Council at the meeting on 16 March 2020. Councillors resolved unanimously to adopt the updated chapters.

    The business paper and meeting minutes are available to read on Council's website.

    The new chapters are now in force and can be downloaded from Council’s website.

  • Conversations with the community

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    During the public exhibition period, 25 November 2019 to 20 January 2020, Council’s engagement team shared the proposed changes with the community and key stakeholders. Emails with this information were sent to community, Register of Interest (flood) and industry stakeholders. The information was also available at Council’s Customer Service Centre. Copies of the draft chapters and change logs, a Frequently Asked Questions sheet and Feedback Form were made available at Wollongong Library. They were also included on the project webpage. A notice of the exhibition was published in the Advertiser on 27 November and 18 December 2019. The community was invited to provide feedback via Council’s website and Customer Service Centre. Key industry stakeholders were invited to participate in a forum at Council’s Administration building on 5 December 2019, to learn about the staged process for the review and proposed updates. Council sought to find out whether the proposed changes were supported, or if there were others changes that should be considered. Council’s floodplain engineers gave a presentation, with a question and answer session following.

    The forum was attended by 35 industry stakeholders and there were 10 submissions, including group submissions from Neighbourhood Forum 5 and NSW Department Planning, Industry & Environment’s Environment, Energy and Science (EES) Water Flood Coast team.

    Clarifications to some definitions and additions to objectives were requested for both chapters. There were suggested corrections to spelling, grammar, punctuation, inconsistencies and formatting. Support was expressed for particular clauses or sections of the chapters. It was queried how some of the guidelines might be applied to specific locations. Suggestions for managing flood risk were provided. It was requested that DCP Chapters E15 and 23 be updated concurrently. Suggested changes to chapter E13 related to flood studies, conveyance & floodways, modelling of buildings, overland flow, debris control structures, modifications to watercourses, flood impacts, filling of the floodplain, cumulative implications, risk precincts and design of new structures. Recommendations were made to address the effect of climate change on flood risk and update exceptional circumstances for controls above the flood planning level in the Wollongong Local Environment Plan. It was asked that Council engage a consultant to review and report on the proposed changes to the chapters, and for the report be placed on public exhibition.

  • Deadline for submissions extended to Sunday 19 January 2020

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    We received a request to extend the submission closing date, as the previously-advertised pre-Christmas date made providing considered feedback difficult for some. As such, we've now extended the closing date to Sunday 19 January 2020.