Resilience and natural hazard risk

Resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, businesses and systems within a city to survive, adapt and thrive no matter what kinds of stresses and shocks they face.The land use planning system plays an important role in creating resilient places.

We are committed to ensuring risk from natural hazards is understood and considered early through strategic planning so that communities are protected from existing and future risks. Good land use planning can help avoid or mitigate the worst effects of natural hazards such as flood, drought and bushfire.

The NSW Government’s risk policies and guidelines help councils plan strategically and assess development proposals. These policies and guidelines ensure sensitive land uses and infrastructure (such as homes, hospitals and schools) are appropriately located, so communities are not placed at high risk, and people can safely evacuate if there’s an emergency.

The department works closely with other government agencies including Resilience NSW, NSW State Emergency Service, NSW Rural Fire Service, Infrastructure NSW and local government to build resilient communities by adopting a risk-based approach to land use planning to keep our communities safe.