We want to increase the resilience of our communities through the planning system.
Shaping 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.
What is resilience?
Consideration of broad resilience includes acknowledging a variety of shocks and stresses, including natural hazard risk management, emergency management, climate change and adaptation, human health and social wellbeing, and environmental management.
The Resilient Cities Network defines ‘resilience’ as:
the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.
Planning for resilient communities
The land-use planning system plays an important role in creating communities that are resilient to chronic stresses and episodic shocks.
Chronic stresses are slow-moving disasters or challenges that weaken the community on a day-to-day or cyclical basis.
Examples include:
- food and water shortages
- climate change
- lack of affordable housing
- pandemics.
Episodic shocks are sudden, short-term events that threaten a community.
Examples include:
- natural hazards such as heatwaves, bushfires, floods and extreme weather
- coastal hazards such as erosion and tsunamis
- disease outbreaks
- infrastructure failure.
Across NSW, communities may experience a range of shocks and stresses that can combine and result in cumulative risk. Effective planning can manage and reduce our exposure to this, and build resilience.
We are developing tools and guides to support resilience.
Resilience outcomes report
Our report, Resilience outcomes for the planning system (PDF, 2.7 MB), introduces 7 outcomes that are mapped to the United Nations sustainable development goals. These outcomes define how the NSW planning system will incorporate resilience.
The report will support and guide current and future resilience related work for the department.
More information
For more information, email [email protected]