To protect communities, risk must be understood and considered early through strategic planning.
Resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, businesses and systems to survive, adapt and thrive in the face of adversity. The land-use planning system plays an important role in creating resilient communities.
Good land-use planning can help avoid or lessen the worst effects of natural hazards such as floods, droughts and bushfires.
The NSW Government’s risk policies and guidelines help councils plan strategically and assess development proposals. This ensures infrastructure such as homes, hospitals and schools are located so that communities are not placed at high risk, and people can safely evacuate if there’s an emergency.
We work closely with other government agencies, including the NSW Reconstruction Authority, the NSW State Emergency Service, NSW Rural Fire Service, Infrastructure NSW and local government, to build resilient communities through a risk-based approach to land-use planning.
Shape the future of climate and natural hazard planning
The NSW Government is proposing a new Climate Change and Natural Hazards State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) to help create more resilient communities that can prepare for current and future climate risks and natural hazards (focused on urban heat, bushfire, coastal hazards, and flooding) and rebuild stronger after natural disasters.
The proposed policy introduces a clear, consistent framework for assessing climate change and natural hazard planning controls together in one place.
The policy will support the new object in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to better respond to these risks and make decisions that reflect the level of risk involved.
It will:
- introduce new guidelines for managing natural hazards and update existing natural hazards controls to streamline decision making
- focus on climate risks, rebuilding after natural disasters, coastal hazards, flooding, bushfires and urban heat
- establish a consistent approach for assessing climate risk and natural hazards throughout development assessment
- provide an all hazards approach to planning to ensure communities and developments are resilient to both current and future risks
- help consent authorities, such as local councils, assess climate and natural hazard risks for different development types and guide decisions based on acceptable risk levels.
Using recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction to make communities stronger.
We’re committed to helping protect homes from the threat of bushfires.
We’re working closely with other agencies to manage flood risks and keep our communities safe.
Working with local councils to future-proof our planning system and help communities after natural disasters.
We have developed a statewide natural hazards package that encourages councils to consider natural hazard risks during strategic land-use planning.
We’re using the planning system to improve the resilience of our communities.
The NSW Government has several initiatives that are reducing urban heat to create a cooler, sustainable and liveable Greater Sydney.