A redraft of Byron Shire’s development control plan (DCP) Chapter 2 ‘Areas Affected by Flood’ will soon go on public exhibition without mentioning 2022 flood data.
Debate and a vote on the topic occurred at 6.30pm, the last item of a marathon nine-and-a-half-hour meeting last Thursday. Several councillors had left by that time.
And while the vote was unanimous, Cr Duncan Dey, who is also a flood hydrologist, was unsupported in his efforts to include what fellow Floodplain Committee members were also advocating, which was to include the 2022 flood data.
The long-awaited state government analysis of the 2022 flood in Byron Shire’s north is now publicly available having been kept secret since February.
Community meeting
Cr Alan Hunter’s motion to amend the DCP with flood-affected areas also includes holding a community meeting with residents in the north of the Shire, to inform and discuss the draft chapter.
Both Crs Hunter and Asren Pugh were satisfied at the meeting that the DCP should go on exhibition as is.
Cr Dey explained to councillors his reasoning for including 2022 flood data.
‘Where a significant flood has occurred, flood studies require updating, but this has not happened. Flood data, such as reported flood heights should be taken into account’.
‘[Council watcher] Matthew Lambourne pointed out [in morning access] that if you go to a place that doesn’t have a flood study, then you gather flood height data and you utilise that’.
‘We have got flood studies, and in the case of the North Byron Flood Study, it’s out of date, and can’t be fixed. It has to be replaced, and could take five years to complete. What we should do is recognise we just had a big flood, the biggest in living memory.
‘We could utilise that information as an adjunct to the computer study’.
Earlier in the day, Lambourne addressed Council and objected to the staff recommendation that Council not take advice from its Floodplain Advisory Committee.
As a floodplain committee member, Lambourne reminded councillors that other councils provide up-to-date flood levels, so that residents can be informed around such hazards.
Meanwhile, the ‘Report of the Floodplain Management Advisory Committee Meeting held on February 13, 2024’ was deferred for adoption.
Strong objections
In the Council agenda (item 14.1) from April 18, staff emphasised their strong objections to the commitee’s recommendations, such as making ‘Flood Certificate information publicly available for all properties covered by suitable floodplain plans’.
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