The NSW Government is working closely with councils to help keep communities safe from natural disasters.

The Strategic Guide to Planning for Natural Hazards, released last month, will help councils consider potential natural disaster risks in the early stages of the planning process.

According to the guide, natural hazards are becoming more frequent and intense in NSW and are costing the government around $3.2 billion a year.

Based on the history of natural disaster events over the past 50 years, the guide estimates that the economic cost of natural disasters in NSW will reach $10.6 billion per year by 2050.

This forecast does not account for the effects of a changing climate, which are expected to further increase these costs.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the impacts of climate change are already being felt in Australia.

“This new guide will help make sure NSW homes and businesses are built in the right places, to help protect against the destruction of natural disasters,” he said in a statement.

Natural hazards referred to in the guide include those identified as posing a high or extreme risk to the state and those considered to pose a risk with climate change.

Why strategic planning is needed

“Strategic planning can help limit how vulnerable communities are to natural hazards and how frequently they are exposed to these types of risks,” the guide said.

“An effective strategic land-use planning system considers natural hazards early and avoids creating expectations for development that are not suited to current or likely future natural hazards.

“It does this through appropriate zoning and development controls that consider the constraints that natural hazards place on land.”

“This new guide will help make sure NSW homes and businesses are built in the right places, to help protect against the destruction of natural disasters.” – Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes

Decisions concerning the types of land uses or development permitted in an area can influence a community’s exposure to natural hazards.

“In NSW for instance, if we allow more people to live in floodplains, they are more likely to be exposed to floods and their consequences,” the guide said.  

“And if more people live in bushland areas, they are more likely to be exposed to bushfires.”

Guiding principles for resilience

The guide identifies eight guiding principles to help communities be more resilient to natural hazards through strategic land-use planning.

These include:

• Be strategic, consider risks from natural hazards early
• Protect vulnerable people and assets
• Adopt an ‘all-hazards’ approach
• Involve the community in conversations about risk and values
• Plan for emergency response and evacuation
• Be information driven and evidence based
• Plan to build and rebuild for the future with a changing climate
• Understand the relationship between natural processes and natural hazards

“An effective strategic land-use planning system considers natural hazards early and avoids creating expectations for development that are not suited to current or likely future natural hazards.”

Community involvement

It is important to involve the community because managing risk cannot be a responsibility that falls only on the government, the guide said.

“Involve residents and other community partners in planning for natural hazards such as where to build, what to build and how to build.

“Include matters the community values and discuss how to protect what is critical to the functioning of the community.”

According to the guide, it is rarely possible to eliminate all natural hazards, so it is still important to consider emergency responses.

“Strategic land-use plans must consider emergency responses including evacuation,” the guide said.

The guide builds on work that has already been done to help councils and other planning authorities plan for natural hazards.