[+] Poor Flood Planning ‘Holding Back Key Region’s Growth’

Developers in a vital growth region on Sydney’s outskirts say a lack of spending on infrastructure to mitigate devestating flooding is holding the region back from further development. The floodplain areas of the Hawkesbury-Nepean were smashed by the worst day of flooding in 44 years early in July. The flood exceeded 13m and was the fourth major flooding event in the region in the past few years. It has forced thousands of people into temporary housing and it seems likely that will continue for many more months. The recently released flood report by the NSW government suggests that a buyback scheme and land swaps is the only way forward with changes to laws governing building on flood plains. The report suggests these housing areas be brought back under public ownership and are then leased for uses such as public parks. It also identifies land too vulnerable to be built on. Flooding a constant threat Residents in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley live with the constant threat of flood. The NSW government acknowledges that the area is one of the most complex floodplains in Australia—but this area is also home to some of the fastest-growing areas of Western Sydney. ▲ The region was hard-hit by flooding events that devastated the east coast in 2021 and again earlier this year. Meanwhile, the region is coming to grips with the rising costs of repairing flood-damaged homes, which CoreLogic suggests could be 20 per cent more expensive than the build cost due to a skilled labour and materials shortage, forcing homeowners to make the difficult decision on whether to rebuild or not. Developers call for clarity The village of Pitt Town is one of the worst-affected areas after enduring three significant flood events in the past 12 months. It has just one access in and out of the area during a flood, a situation that has locals angry and frustrated. Large parts of Pitt Town were developed 15 years ago by one of the largest privately owned residential developers in NSW, Johnson Property Group. Founder and managing director Keith Johnson lays the blame for the flooding-related issues squarely at the door of Hawkesbury City Council. “They have the power to fix this and they haven’t,” Johnson says. Flood evacuation routes and a clear plan to build the infrastructure that ensures that new developments are protected from flooding haven’t been forthcoming, Johnson says. ▲ The Anglican Church in Pitts Town: A lack of planning and direction over flood management is stifling the village, according to a local developer. “The issues of Pitt Town are solvable, but the council isn’t prepared to do what it should be doing—not committing to the much-needed infrastructure projects in the area that would solve the flooding issues and unlock land for further development,” he says. “The council wants development, but they don’t realise the costs involved. We’ve paid our levies and yet the government haven’t done anything about it, they haven’t spent the money, and that’s the problem.” For example, he says, a retention pit built by the council to ensure stormwater from new homes doesn’t flood the area has failed, with flood water reaching homes in the March floods. Hawkesbury City Council general manager Elizabeth Richardson says "the inadequacy of current flood evacuation routes in the Hawkesbury was a significant concern to council and the community". But it is the NSW Government, through the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Evacuation Road Resilience Program, that has responsibility for improving "the resilience and immunity of the evacuation routes and council would seek for these improvement works to be delivered in full as a matter of priority". She says council also notes a key finding of the NSW Upper House Select Committee’s Response to major flooding across NSW in 2022 is for the State Government to do more in partnering with local government to plan for, fund and provide strategic flood evacuation routes in flood-prone areas. She says council particularly supports the report’s recommendation, “That the NSW Government allocate funding to the improvement of the Pitt Town Evacuation Route and other key possible evacuation routes in Sydney's northwest.” This was supported by the 2022 Flood Inquiry Report handed down last week. "The stormwater management infrastructure constructed in Wells Street, Pitt Town, was designed and constructed to relevant standards, and was peer reviewed by a specialist in the design and construction of stormwater related infrastructure," Richardson says. "Council is aware of the concerns of residents about the adequacy of the basin and is undertaking a holistic review of the stormwater management across Pitt Town. "Further development within the catchment of this basin is dependent on approvals and timing of construction." New bridge ‘vital’ Another developer, Hawkesbury Homes, says it will continue with developments where it can. Managing director John Micallef says a second bridge must be built to give locals a second exit during floods. He says that committing to infrastructure projects to hold back flood waters and improve access to the region would result in higher land prices. Some in the community also want the height of the dam wall increased to offer more protection to homeowners. “The Hawkesbury needs some help. There’s too many people living here. I find it very disappointing. There needs to be some care for the people who live here,” Micallef says. “We should have had a second bridge a long time ago. We get close to a resolution, then a government is voted out and all the talk starts again. “I know it’s a lot of money, but there’s a lot of people living here as well, and it would open up more rates and they would see more money come into the area.” The Hawkesbury council is focused on new housing growth in urban release areas and increasing the supply of smaller homes in established and new areas. Its future housing strategy has also mapped out a long-term supply of residential land by investigating potential new urban areas—but identifying the most impacted areas during floods is yet to be made public. ▲ All levels of government must act to solve the region’s flood pain, says a Hawkesbury councillor. The council says it’s been working with relevant state agencies seeking advice to enable works to be undertaken within relevant legislative requirements since the recent floods. It is also exploring the construction of a concrete bridge spanning the Grose River, part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment. The waiting game Professor Jamie Pittock, a researcher and teacher at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at The Australian National University, says regulators should not allow flood-destroyed infrastructure to be rebuilt as it was. “There are no simple or cheap solutions to reducing the risk to life and property from floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley,” he says. “Dangerous floods are inevitable and the safest option is to keep people off the floodplain, out of harm’s way.” The head of the federal government’s disaster recovery agency, Shane Stone, has already called for an end to development in floodplain areas. Stone doesn’t want inundated homes to be rebuilt, saying taxpayers and ratepayers can’t continue to pick up the bill for catastrophic events. Weak agreements between the Hawkesbury council and developers about how much infrastructure is needed in areas being developed have been the issue, independent councillor Nathan Zamprogno says. But, he says, other tiers of government have also let the region down. “Flooding has caused massive disruption to homes and businesses in the valley. “More than 150,000 people live and trade on the floodplain and uncertainty about the commitment to capital works to mitigate against bad floods needs to be addressed by the state and federal governments.” You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

[+] Poor Flood Planning ‘Holding Back Key Region’s Growth’

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