Listening to our community: insights gathered during engagement

Thanks to all who participated in the Collins Creek Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan (FRMSP) engagement process. We're pleased to share with you the engagement report, which summarises the insights and comments we received during the engagement period.

We invited feedback on the draft FRMSP and heard from 209 respondents. We received 75 hardcopy surveys, 10 online submissions, 16 emails, six phone calls, and three in-person (verbal) submissions. Some provided photos with their submissions. We shared the information with local Aboriginal Traditional Custodians and knowledge holders and met with one individual who provided a verbal submission. We had conversations with 98 attendees at community information sessions. The project webpage had 553 unique views.

What we heard

Survey
Almost half of the respondents have lived, worked or visited in the Collins Creek catchment for more than 21 years and would remain at their house if a major flood occurred in their area. Most people said they’d look for information about road closures, evacuation notices and predicted flood levels during a flood event. Most would seek updates and information via local radio, followed by social media, TV, Council’s website and word of mouth. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of support for the following options for managing flood risk in the Collins Creek Catchment. Most respondents are strongly supportive of all options. Respondents were asked whether they had any other suggestions for managing flood risk in this catchment. They commonly spoke about the need for improved stormwater management, maintenance of waterways and drains, doubts about flood modelling accuracy and calls for community education and infrastructure improvements. Some provided photos, diagrams or videos with their submissions, to share their ideas, observations and experiences of flooding.

Aboriginal stakeholder comment
The Traditional Custodian / knowledge holder we spoke to indicated there are culturally important areas along the creek. They advised ongoing engagement with Aboriginal stakeholders is needed when developing plans that affect the creek and water flows, to prevent harm to these sites.

Open submissions
We received 25 open submissions from local resident/s and property owners. Two were very late, however they were still included in this report. Those with accompanying photographs, video and diagrams were provided in full to the team working on the FRMSP.

Residents and property owners are actively engaged in advocating for:

• Improved flood management measures
• Addressing concerns about vegetation accumulation
• Drainage infrastructure
• Accurate property flood coding
• The need for ongoing community consultation and involvement in decision-making processes.

They want practical solutions to mitigate flood risks and protect their properties and community from the impacts of flooding. They expressed support for the recommended flood management options, but also suggested additional measures to mitigate flood risks effectively.

The very late submissions were sent on behalf of a group of property owners in Waterloo St, Bulli. They have concerns about flood risk management in the Collins Creek catchment area, particularly focusing on the impact on their properties. They outlined various sources of overland flow and discrepancies in the draft floodplain risk management plan. They requested reconsideration of mitigation measures and improved maintenance of drainage infrastructure.

Information sessions
SomeInformation session residents believe their properties are not flood-prone and there were requests to reassess modelling for certain properties. Some reported issues with mapping accuracy. People shared concerns about flood insurance premiums, stormwater infrastructure maintenance, creek erosion, and specific property issues. There was criticism of Council's responsiveness to requests and short notice for the information session, with suggestions for improvement.

Next steps
We will use this feedback to further refine the draft Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan. These are preliminary discussions about the recommended options. They will each require further investigation, consultation and approvals before going ahead. We will continue sharing information with the community and key stakeholders and seek input as we progress.

Since the close of the engagement period, our community experienced another significant flood event on 6 April. We recognise that many community members have been impacted by the recent flood, and our thoughts are with those affected. Council has been actively supporting the community through this difficult time and will continue to do so.

This event has seen additional feedback from the community and new information about flood behaviours, which we are currently assessing and considering as we work towards finalising the plan. While this new feedback is not included in the engagement report, it is being taken into account in our ongoing planning and work.

We will contact participants to advise when the final Collins Creek Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan report is ready and scheduled for presentation at a Council meeting.

Read the full Engagement Report.