State of Play Yamba NSW, April 2024: community meetings on the the subject of flooding and overdevelopment in the town & environs

Only road into Yamba in the Clarence Valley cut by flood waters at Shallow Channel, 3 March 2022 flooding. IMAGE: Clarence Valley Council

Yamba Road during February-March 2022 flooding. IMAGE: The Daily Telegraph

Shores Drive, Yamba, March 2022. IMAGE: YambaCAN

Yamba suffered unprecedented flooding earlier this year, particularly in Golding, Cook and Endeavour streets (lower left-hand corner of pic). Meanwhile, amid the arguments put by Yamba residents that this flooding was caused by poor planning for development on the West Yamba floodplain, the West Yamba Landowners Consortium’s WYURA Flood Impact Assessment notes that “Golding Street … is already shown to be largely filled … such, that the majority of the site is above the 1 in 100 annual exceedance probability flood level. Photo: Contributed [Clarence Valley Independent, 24 October 2022]

Clarence Valley Independent, 24 April 2024:

Greens MLC Sue Higginson says Grevillea Waters Yamba residents are in the “fight of their lives” against an “intolerable” development proposal for 16 townhouses on adjacent flood prone land which was claimed may put the lives of the 200 plus residents at risk.

Ms Higginson, who is the chairperson of a current NSW parliamentary current inquiry into the planning system and impacts of climate change on the environment and communities visited the Hometown Australia owned village on Sunday to hear the residents’ concerns about the development proposal for 30 Golding Street, Yamba.

She said she was extremely impressed by how organised the Grevillea Waters community were and how they have “forensically analysed” the development proposal to make comprehensive submissions to council addressing their concerns.

“They have applied their lived experience, that local knowledge to the DA that is before them, and I believe their concerns are very clear, very real, and very accurate…they’re in the fight of their lives,” she said.

Touring the site on the village bus gave Ms Higginson first-hand perspective of the impact of the 2022 flood, viewing photos of the development site 90 cm under water.

“You can’t say that land that was impacted like that in 2022, with that volume of water, is not going to impact this site, and the problem is that the development application documents say there will be no adverse flooding impacts,” she said.

“I don’t think that conclusion can be accepted, and I don’t think that it can be supported.”

Ms Higginson, former senior lawyer at the Environmental Defenders Office, said she advised residents to continue on the active and proactive engagement they are having with the development proposal, and they are appealing to every possible person who may be able to influence the outcome of this development proposal.

“Really, the best thing that can happen here is that the council refuses this development,” she said.

“It won’t be the best thing for the proponent, and I accept that, but the reality is this is not the kind of development that should go on that site…placing as many townhouses as possible on that site to maximise the return is not in the best interests of this local community.”

Ms Higginson said the planning system was at a junction where we need to respond to the real-life threats to the community and our environment, now that our climate is changing.

“The reality here is that we’re talking about 200 or more members of our community that are among the most vulnerable, and we are considering whether we should pose an intolerable risk on their lives, their wellbeing, their homes, and the physical environment in which they live and that’s a real concern,” she said.

Ms Higginson said she will be immediately writing to NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully, and Clarence Valley Council, and informing her parliamentary inquiry committee of the plight of Grevillea Waters residents.

Grevillea Waters Residents Committee Focus Group GWRCFG spokesperson David Robinson thanked Ms Higginson for her helpful and informative discussion with the group.

He said Ms Higginson explained the new planning methodologies being developed to help Councils decide on whether or not to proceed with marginal flood plain developments – particularly when there was a high risk to life and property, but said councils were under pressure to address the state housing shortage.

“She was aware of a November 2023 Canberra Times article – in which Planning Minister Paul Scully had claimed to be considering scaling back high-risk flood plain developments in NSW (including in the Clarence Valley) – especially where there would be a risk to life in the case of a mass evacuation,” Mr Robinson said.

“Ms Higginson believes that Grevillea Waters Village deserved special consideration, given the age and medical condition of the many residents in the Village.”

Clarence Valley Independent, 24 April 2024:

It was standing room only at Yamba Golf and Country Club on Sunday as more than 250 Clarence Valley residents proactively engaged in a flood awareness and resilience meeting, leaving with vital knowledge to help them survive and conquer the next stormwater and Clarence River flood event.

The Yamba Community Action Network Yamba CAN Inc. and Valley Watch who hosted the meeting invited politicians, council’s GM, councillors, the SES, NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW, and NSW Ambulance to attend.

Clarence Valley Deputy Mayor, Jeff Smith, Cr Greg Clancy, and potential council candidate, Cristie Yaeger attended.

Yamba CAN Chair Col Shephard opened the meeting, defining awareness and resilience before advising attendees to study two important clauses in the Clarence Valley Council Local Environmental Plan 2011, 521 relating to flood planning, and 522 about Special Flood Considerations.

Valley Watch Treasurer Graeme Granleese then spoke about the State Disaster Mitigation Plan, encouraging locals to have input to help create a Disaster Adaptation Plan for the area.

Keynote speaker, Greens MLC and chair of a current NSW parliamentary inquiry into the planning system and impacts of climate change on the environment and communities, Sue Higginson said the NSW planning system which was developed in the 1970s is archaic and “broken” and the inquiry aims to help reform the system.

She said after the 2022 floods both the Prime Minister and Premier both said we need to stop any further developments on floodplains.

“The system facilitates these developments

… it’s a planning system of the past,” she said.

“It often goes against the wishes of local people, with local knowledge.”

Ms Higginson commended Yamba CAN Inc. and Valley Watch for their proactive actions and advocacy in educating and informing the community about floods.

“You are the key to your future in developing your preparedness for the next flood event,” she said.

After an informative and graphic slideshow of images and videos of the 2022 flood, Yamba CAN Inc. executive member and long-term Yamba resident, Craigh McNeill, who has spent hundreds of hours researching councils new flood model, presented valuable information on flood awareness, how Yamba floods, Australian Height Datum AHD and how it is calculated.

According to council’s new flood model, Mr McNeill discovered in a 1 in 100-year flood most houses with a 2.5 metre floor level AHD between the Angourie Road roundabout to Oyster Channel, Yamba, would flood.

Mr McNeill said Lake Wooloweyah significantly impacts Yamba flood behaviour, in the 2022 flood the lake continued to fill for 28 hours after the flood peak at Yamba, and Oyster Channel holds back floodwater, exacerbating and extending effects on Yamba.

SES Community Capability Officer, Tracey Doherty clarified that Yamba Bowling Club isn’t the designated flood refuge for Yamba, and flood refuges are determined by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.

Mrs Doherty encouraged everyone to develop an Emergency Plan, have an Emergency Kit prepared, and to download and understand the Bureau of Meteorology, Hazards Near Me and Emergency Plus smartphone apps so they are prepared for the next event.

In the event of a flood, Mrs Doherty encouraged everyone to watch the Clarence Valley SES Facebook page for alerts, to listen to ABC radio 94.5 the official emergency broadcaster, and she advised people to have a location to evacuate to rather than relying on a designated flood refuge......

Ms Higginson said the event was a “remarkable” meeting, she was overwhelmed by how many people attended and the clear message that locals delivered was “we have got to stop development on the Yamba floodplain”.

“People want to be prepared for floods and they don’t feel they have the information they need to be prepared, so it was fantastic that the SES were here to start that conversation,” she said.

“What was clear, is that everyone in this room feels as though their council are letting them down at the moment.”......

A lost and found story playing out on little island near Chinderah Bay on the Tweed River in north-east NSW

 

Small island flood refuge
IMAGE: Google Earth, 19.01.24

First there was a cow caught up in the Northern Rivers flood waters in 2022 which managed to swim to safety on a small island in Boyd's Channel, rather than being swept further down the Tweed River.

Then in January 2024 a handsome black bull was sighted on the island as well.

IMAGE: ABC News, 17 January 2024

When the cow first stepped on dry land was she hiding a pregnancy or did that black bull arrive on the island in recent months with amorous intent?

ABC News, 17 January 2024:

Authorities are working to solve a mystery involving cattle thought to have been washed onto a small island in the Tweed River by floodwater.

Fisherman Nathan Hall told the ABC he spotted a brown cow on the 5.67-hectare Chinderah Island about two weeks after catastrophic flooding in northern New South Wales in February 2022.

He has been keeping an eye on it ever since.

"Looking at the island it's living on, there's only a very small amount of grass area, and the rest is all mangroves and mud," Mr Hall said.

"It's not really the sort of grass that I'm used to seeing cows live in."

The island is close to the mouth of the Tweed River, and the water surrounding it is usually salty.

Mr Hall said he had been making regular deliveries of fresh water "for the last six months, at least".

"I've got three 20-litre drums, and every time I go down that way in the boat, I stop and pour 60 litres of water into a half-drum tin we've got down there," he said.

Recently, Mr Hall discovered a new resident.

"I have stopped in and visited [the cow] over the time until now, but then seeing the black bull a few days ago was a bit of a shock to me," he said.

How the bull arrived on the island is a mystery and no-one has claimed ownership of either animal.

Hunt for owner

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a farmer with cattle agisted on nearby Dodds Island said he had 30 cows wash away in the 2022 floods.

He said 20 of those animals were still unaccounted for and that the cow could be his.

He suggested the bull may have washed onto the island during last week's floods or that the cow may have calved him on the island.

Mr Hall said that both seemed in good condition.

"When I saw them the other day, the floodwater was still very fresh and they were drinking straight from the river," he said.

"They came within six feet of the boat like they wanted to hop in with me."

Mr Hall said he would like to see the cattle brought back to the mainland.

"The best way to do it would be when the run-out tide is, and the animals could swim with the water rather than against it," he said.

"There's been plenty of interest, and give us another week and we'll get them off the island and get them back to living where they should be."....

Yet another Clarence Valley development application with wet feet?

 

MASTER PLAN
DA 2023/0711
Click on all images to enlarge

Clarence Valley Independent, 20 December 2023:

A development application DA 2023/0711 for a $6.65 million 95 lot manufactured home estate at South Grafton is currently being assessed by Clarence Valley Council and submissions from the public are invited.

The DA lodged by John Codling is for the demolition of existing buildings at 252 to 298 Rushforth Road and construction of a 95 dwelling manufactured home estate, a community building, a 25m by 10m swimming pool, children’s play area, community gardens, recreation areas and community title subdivision.

The Statement of Environmental Effects SEE, lodged with the DA states the 95 home manufactured housing estate will take up 8.57 hectares of the 11.54-hectare property, with proposed residential sites varying from 282 square metres to 450 square metres.

The Manufactured Home estate will be located on the southern and eastern portions of the property, with the northern and western areas remaining unimpacted by construction.

“The proposed large community clubhouse, centrally located at the entrance to the development, will act as an indoor and outdoor meeting place for residents of the estate and their visitors,” the SEE states.

“The proposed dwelling sites and community facilities will be set in a landscaped environment supported by recreational facilities.”......

Sounds like low income retirees heaven, doesn't it?

Until one realises that an existing wide drainage channel easement dissects the planned manufactured home estate and discharges into what appears to be marshland and creek. Which sets the mind a-wondering.

From there it is easy to discover that the entire manufactured home estate on that lot will be directly in the path of the maximum possible Clarence River flood (based on probable maximum precipitation) according to Clarence Valley Council 2022 flood modelling.

Clarence River very dark blue, 1 in 100 probability in any given year for a flood event is coloured darker blue and, the full range of a maximum probability flood coloured light blue with est. 11.5 ha DA site in dark red.

IMAGE: https://maps.clarence.nsw.gov.au/intramaps910/

In addition the "Stormwater Management Plan & Preliminary Flood Assessment" (17 October 2023) at Page 10 supports this view and adds another dimension:

2. The subject site is subject to Clarence River flooding during an ‘extreme event’. This is limited to the northeastern portion of the site (Figure 4).....

5. The entire site is subject to flooding during a Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) event (Figure 8). Depth and velocity information is not available.

6. Site inundation due to 1:100 storm event runoff from the Rushforth Reservoir (Figure 9) is similar but of a lesser extent than what is mapped as fluvial inundation (Figure 5). Nine lots are affected by shallow (<0.2m) inundation (Figure 11).

7. A Rushforth Reservoir dam break would inundated a large component of the northeastern site precinct (Figure 10). The inundation depth in the northeastern part of the site where the lots are is generally below 0.5 metres (Figure 12), but it increases to 0.8 metres along the eastern site boundary (past the lots).

The developer cannot fail to be aware that the site will experience everything from episodic, low-level nuisance flooding from the creek to a probable maximum full inundation from the river 13.6-13.7m in height potentially sending on a conservative calculation 0.6-3.8m or somewhere between 2-12 feet of rushing water though the manufactured home estate.

Bottom line is that the next time climate change throws a record breaking Clarence River flood at valley communities, South Grafton will possibly have another 190+ people to evacuate to higher ground - as is advised at Page 18 of the developer's document "Stormwater Management Plan & Preliminary Flood Assessment". 

Not sounding quite as attractive now, does it?

SEE FULL DETAILS AT: https://cvc-web.t1cloud.com/T1PRDefault/WebApps/eProperty/P1/eTrack/eTrackApplicationDetails.aspx?r=CVC.P1.WEBGUEST&f=%24P1.ETR.APPDET.VIW&ApplicationId=DA2023%2f0711

The NSW Minns Government continues to make the right noises about ceasing residential development on the state's floodplains, however it is uncertain how committed it will be in practice given the pressure construction & development industries can bring to bear

 An number of uncomfortable caveats are apparent in the following statements made concerning New South Wales floodplains....

*yellow highlighting in this post is mine*

AAP General News Wire. 3 November 2023:

More planned developments could be scraped in NSW after a state government report found there was a risk to residents' lives in flood plain areas.

Plans to build extra homes on high-risk flood plains could be shelved across NSW after the state government axed the rezoning of land on Sydney's outskirts.

The decision to scale back the developments on the city's northwestern fringe followed a state government flood report that declared there would be a “risk to life” in the case of a mass evacuation.

Planning Minister Paul Scully said the government was considering extending the measure to any dangerous flood plain area, although he declined to give a clear definition of what that would entail.

"It's one, not unreasonably, that puts lives at risk," he told a budget estimates hearing on Friday.

"The definition of dangerous will vary based on the frequency, the severity (and) the capacity for people to leave."

The state government on Sunday announced it was scrapping rezoning plans for Marsden Park North and parts of West Schofields, which were due to be developed with more than 10,000 homes.

Plans for a new Riverstone Town Centre will also no longer go ahead.

The decision followed the release of a flood evacuation report, which found there was a risk to life in areas such as the Hawkesbury-Nepean basin.

Mr Scully on Friday described the area as the plain with the highest unmitigated flood risk of anywhere in Australia.

The report said the number of people unable to evacuate from the region in the case of a flood increased significantly if all potential development was to occur.

"For example, for a 1-in-500 chance per year flood (similar to the worst flood on record), the risk to life would increase from an estimated 980 people under committed development to around 23,700 people by 2041," it read.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman called on the government to be transparent about its modelling, referring to criticisms of the evacuation report by former NSW Police deputy commissioner Dave Owens.

"Obviously governments cannot be reckless and put people in harm's way," he told ABC Radio.

Pressed at estimates about whether the government would stop housing developments in other flood-plain regions, such as Clarence Valley in the Northern Rivers, Mr Scully said he was "looking at all options".

"Where there are cases where we believe there should be an intervention, that will happen," he said.

"As a broader policy work, that continues.

"We absolutely won't put lives unnecessarily at risk by building on dangerous flood lines."

Mr Scully said if housing developments did not go ahead, the land could be used in alternative ways.

"Just because you can't use a piece of land for residential use, doesn't mean you can't use it for other uses ... there's sporting fields, there's biodiversity, there's the potential for areas to be zoned as industrial or commercial," he said.

Deputy Premier, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces & Labor MP for Wollongong Paul Scully, media release, 29 October 2023:

Focus on prevention to reduce risk to life during floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley

Published: 29 October 2023

The NSW Government is delivering on its election commitment to no longer develop housing on high-risk flood plains in Western Sydney.

The Government is today announcing it has rezoned parts of the North-West Growth corridor to ensure NSW does not construct new homes in high-risk areas.

The Government is also releasing the Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, which informed the rezoning decisions.

No more building on high-risk flood plains

We cannot continue to develop and build new residential towns in high-risk areas, and risk putting more people in harm’s way.

Following a rigorous assessment process and review of expert advice on flooding, it has been determined the proposed rezoning and draft plans for Marsden Park North precinct and Riverstone Town Centre will not proceed.

The plans for the West Schofields precinct will partially proceed, subject to strict conditions.

The three projects fall within the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley floodplain and were put on hold in 2020 until further flood risk investigations and evacuation modelling were completed.

It means that, in line with the NSW Government’s election commitment, and in taking a risk-based approach to planning decisions on dangerous flood plains, of the approximately 12,700 new homes previously proposed – but not approved – under the three rezonings, only up to 2,300 will now proceed.

The NSW Government will continue to work closely with councils and other stakeholders to explore suitable land-use options.

Work is also underway to understand where additional housing can be accommodated to mitigate the impacts of these decisions on the housing pipeline.

Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley

The land-use planning decisions follow the release of Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

The modelling was undertaken to help make better decisions on emergency evacuations, land use planning and road upgrades in one of Australia’s most dangerous flood risk areas.

The former NSW government commissioned an independent expert inquiry led by Mary O’Kane and Mick Fuller into the preparation for, causes of, response to and recovery from the 2022 catastrophic flood event across the state of NSW.

Key recommendations in the report included revised and updated flood modelling and disaster adaption plans to help resolve rezoning decisions.

This updated modelling has been instrumental in the NSW Government’s consideration of the three planning proposals in Sydney’s North-West Growth Area.

The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley covers over 500km2 of floodplain in Western Sydney, stretching from Wallacia to Brooklyn and Wisemans Ferry.

It includes land in Hawkesbury, Hills, Blacktown, Penrith, Central Coast, Wollondilly, Liverpool and Hornsby Local Government Areas with more than 140,000 people living or working in the floodplain.

The valley is often compared to a bathtub – one with five ‘taps’ flowing in and only one drain. Between 2020 and 2022, the area flooded six times with some of the largest floods seen in decades.

Sadly, this area has suffered even bigger floods in the past, and the Government must consider the risk of similar floods in the future.

The extreme depth of floods in the valley means that large numbers of people often need to evacuate at short notice before roads out are cut off. It is not possible to shelter in place in these areas.

Adding to the complexity, thousands of vehicles need to evacuate using roads and intersections that were not designed for those levels of traffic.

This technical Flood Evacuation Modelling report for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley will be used to reduce the risk to life by informing better planned evacuation routes for flood events, assesses potential road infrastructure options and inform decisions on potential future developments.

While improvements can be made, the flood challenges of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley are not ones that communities can build their way out of.

The report makes clear that the number of people who will be unable to evacuate increases significantly with potential future development and climate change.

Recognising that decisions to limit new homes on the flood plain could raise concerns for small local landowners, the Government has appointed strategic planning expert Professor Roberta Ryan to provide independent community liaison support to help affected landowners them understand and navigate the issues.

Professor Ryan has previously assisted communities in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and Orchard Hills on land-use planning matters.

For more information read the Flood Evacuation Modelling report or more about flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valleylaunch

A new focus on disaster preparedness

What is clear, is NSW’s ability to prevent and prepare for disasters has been hampered by ineffective funding, with 97% of all disaster funding spent after an event and only three per cent spent on prevention and preparedness.

It’s part of why the NSW Reconstruction Authority was established in December 2022 with the expanded responsibilities to include adaption, mitigation and preparedness for natural disasters.

As part of that, an historic $121 million has been invested in the last Budget to properly resource the NSW Reconstruction Authority and allow the authority to support communities across the state better prepare for natural disasters including bushfires, floods and storms.

The authority is working on a State Disaster Mitigation Plan and new regional Disaster Adaptation Plan to reduce the impact of floods in the Valley and this tool will also be used to better understand the risks.

Today’s announcement is a key example of the preventative work that will be prioritised to reduce the impacts of natural disasters in the state.

Minister for Western Sydney, Deputy Premier Prue Car said:

“Western Sydney residents have borne the brunt of recent disasters including the pandemic and floods in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley.

“By stopping unsafe development in dangerous areas on flood plains, and with our Government’s work to reduce the risk of disasters before they happen, we’re making sure communities across Western Sydney, in areas including Penrith, Blacktown and Riverstone, are finally supported and better protected.

“When we consider new housing areas, we will look at both the potential for those homes to be inundated in floods, as well as the impact more homes will have on the ability of both new and existing residents to evacuate in emergencies.

“We know we can’t stop natural disasters from occurring, but we are committed to doing more to prepare for and prevent the worst of their impacts.”

“This new tool will not only help us better plan for evacuations but it will also make our amazing emergency service workers safer by reducing the risks they face when responding to floods in the valley.”

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“We’ve all seen the devastation caused by floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley – with homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. We also know these communities will only face more and worse flood risks if things stay the same.

“There’s no simple solution but we are working on a suite of measures which includes this tool to help NSW better prepare for disasters.

“These are hard and complex policy problems – we need to deliver new housing, but it needs to be done safely.

“New developments could impact the ability of both new and existing residents to evacuate safely during emergencies, which puts more lives at risk.

“I’d rather a disappointed landowner confront me over a decision we’ve made to keep them safe, rather than console them when they’ve lost a loved one because of floods.

“We’ve been clear that we will put an end to unsuitable development on dangerous flood plains which puts lives at risk and destroys livelihoods - this model gives us the technical data needed to make those informed decisions and balance competing priorities.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Flood Evacuation Modelling at:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/Hawkesbury%20Nepean%20Valley%20Flood%20Evacuation%20Model%20FEM%20FAQs.pdf