Natural Hazards, Risk And Resilience - Framework

PART BPART B: Integrating the state interestinto planning schemesPolicy 1Identifying natural hazard areas for flood, bushfire, landslide and coastal hazards based on a fit for purposenatural hazard study.BackgroundAn understanding of the presence, extent, frequency andbehaviour of a natural hazard is the foundation on which therisk to people, property, and infrastructure from that hazardcan be assessed.A hazard study can be undertaken at varying levels ofprecision depending upon the characteristics of the hazard,the land uses in that area and the rate of growth anticipatedfor that location.The level of precision for a study should be determinedat a local level by the responsible local government. Forexample, areas with low population and anticipated growthmay be suited to a less precise study than would be neededfor an area anticipating higher levels of growth, change ofuse or infill.The tailoring of a study in response to local circumstancesand needs is referred to as a ‘fit for purpose’ approach.Within a Local Government Area (LGA) there may be areasthat are anticipating growth at different levels or in differenttime frames. In these circumstances, a single level ofprecision across the whole LGA may not be required, thoughmore precise studies should be considered for thoseareas where development pressures are greatest and mostimminent.Where limited development activity is anticipated, it maybe appropriate that a detailed study be timed to coincidewith later local area or site based planning that can considerthe hazard in greater detail with more specific land useplanning. This approach may be suited where a less precisestudy has indicated a general suitability for the anticipatedland use.State interest guideline - Natural hazards, risk and resilience - April 2016Natural hazard events occur at many levels of severity andfrequency. This variation has a direct influence on the levelof risk that a natural hazard event poses to people, propertyand infrastructure. As natural occurrences, whilst theirseverity and probability of recurrence can be modelled,they are inherently unpredictable. In undertaking a naturalhazard study, a local government may investigate a rangeof hazard events to accommodate this variability in itsplanning.The effects of climate change need to be considered inhazard assessment as they are projected to impact onthe footprint, frequency and intensity of natural hazards.Projected sea level rise for example, will increase the extentof coastal hazards, progressively causing the permanentinundation of low lying land and extending the risk ofcoastal erosion and storm tide inundation to new areas.Increased temperatures for example, will increase thelikelihood, intensity and extent of areas affected by bushfire,extend fire seasons and decrease the opportunity for hazardreduction between fire seasons.How to appropriately integratethe policy1.1The preparation of the planning scheme is supportedby a natural hazard study for each hazard identifyingthe likelihood and/or characteristics of the naturalhazard in the planning scheme area. The outcomesof that study or studies need to be explicitlycommunicated in the planning scheme.1.2Natural hazard studies should be undertaken priorto or as early as possible in the preparation of theplanning scheme to inform how natural hazards willbe addressed.6

PART BDepartment of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning1.3Based on local circumstances and needs, the fit forpurpose study may identify the hazard through one ora combination of the following means: the utilisation of state wide mapping and data forthat hazard3, or locally verified state wide mapping and data for thathazard, or the localised identification of the hazard utilisingmethodology accepted by the state.1.4Where a local government’s resources to undertakenatural hazards studies are constrained and statewide mapping is not sufficiently detailed to supportplan making, localised natural hazard investigationsshould be prioritised for areas where growth anddevelopment pressures are greatest and mostimminent. A program of mapping works should identifyhow the necessary level of mapping will be availableto enable informed development decisions(e.g. scheduled local area planning or site basedmapping as part of a development application).1.5As a component of the state interest review, a localgovernment, using the Evaluation Report Template4,could describe the considerations which informed theirdecisions and approaches to the hazard studies.REFER TO: PART E: Supporting information1. Technical manual – A 'fit for purpose' approachin undertaking natural hazard studies and riskassessmentsREFER TO: PART E: Supporting information. echnical resources – Evaluation Report:T1. Bushfire hazards2. Flood hazards3. Landslide hazards3No state wide hazard mapping is available for landslide. Land with a slope greater than 15 per cent can be used to identify land potentiallysubject to landslide hazard.4Coastal hazards are not directly addressed under the Evaluation Report Template however local government is encouraged to follow similarconsiderations when describing decisions and approaches to hazard studies for the state interest review.State interest guideline - Natural hazards, risk and resilience - April 20167

PART BDepartment of Infrastructure, Local Government and PlanningPolicy 2Including provisions that seek to achieve an acceptable or tolerable level of risk based on a fit for purpose riskassessment consistent with AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk Management.A hazard study will identify the characteristics of a naturalhazard but further analysis is required to assess the risk thatthe hazard poses to people, property and infrastructure.How to appropriately integratethe policyWhen hazard information is combined with informationabout the characteristics of development proposed inthe affected area, the level of exposure, vulnerability andtolerability of that development to the impacts of the naturalhazard can be understood. This process is referred to asa risk assessment—an assessment of the risk posed toproposed development by the natural hazard.2.1The level of risk can be affected by the severity or frequencyof the natural hazard or by the scale, sensitivity ortolerability of the community, property or infrastructure tothe hazard.A risk assessment will identify whether the level of riskto proposed development is acceptable, tolerable orintolerable. Planning strategies and provisions can reducethe level of risk to an acceptable and tolerable level by eitheravoiding the hazard or mitigating the risk through controlswhich will reduce the exposure or vulnerability of people,property or infrastructure to the hazard.2.2 Based on local circumstances and needs, and havingregard to best practice guidance on preparing a naturalhazard risk assessment5, the fit for purpose riskassessment is consistent with AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009Risk Management. AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 RiskManagement identifies risk management principles,framework and process.2.3Like the hazard studies, risk assessments for each naturalhazard should be tailored to be fit for purpose dependingupon the characteristics of the hazard and the settlement inthat area and the rate of growth anticipated for that location.The extent of the risk assessment should be determined at alocal level by the responsible local government, informed bylocal needs, knowledge and issues.5The risk assessment should result in: The identification of land uses that are existing,proposed and should not occur in natural hazardareas; The risk criteria (that considers the communitiesexposure, tolerability and vulnerability) usedto identify a broadly acceptable, tolerable orintolerable level of risk for each land use;The risk assessment will assist a local government tounderstand whether or not their land use planningintentions are appropriate given the level of risk posedby the natural hazard. In applying the risk assessment, itshould be noted that planning responses to defined naturalhazards events or risk levels will not mitigate residual risksassociated with less probable events.An international risk management standard (AS/NZS ISO31000:2009 Risk Management) has been establishedwhich provides an accepted methodological approach toundertaking a risk assessment.The preparation of the planning scheme is informed bya risk assessment for each hazard assessing the risksto proposed development including people, propertyand infrastructure. The planning provisions used to ensure that thecommunity is not exposed to an unacceptable levelof risk; and The hazard and risk information that is available orwill be required to achieve the planning provisions.2.4The risk assessments for each natural hazard shouldbe used as a tool to inform: The definition and mapping of a particular hazardevent or events (e.g. 1 per cent, 0.5 per cent,0.2 per cent Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP)for flooding and storm tide) or risk level (e.g. veryhigh, high, medium, low bushfire risk) that willinitiate planning and building controls (e.g. withinzones, local plan areas or overlay codes).For additional guidance see also supporting information National Emergency Risk Assessment Guidelines October 2010 isaster-resilience.aspxState interest guideline - Natural hazards, risk and resilience - April 20168

PART BDepartment of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning The drafting of the strategic framework in orderto ensure natural hazards are recognised andsettlement patterns, infrastructure networks andland use strategies avoid, or are compatible with,the level of risk posed by natural hazards. The enabling of building assessment provisionswhich regulate to avoid or mitigate risks associatedwith building work in an area affected by a naturalhazard or hazards by the declaration of a naturalhazard area. The allocation of zones to land affected by the oneor more natural hazards to avoid or mitigate the riskof natural hazards. The content of any planning scheme policyspecifying the scope and methodology to befollowed in preparing a site based naturalhazards study and risk assessment to support adevelopment application within a natural hazardarea. The assignment of land use levels of assessmentwithin zones affected by one or more naturalhazards, to ensure sensitive uses are avoided orare subject to a higher level of assessment. Specialconsideration should be given to communityinfrastructure where it is anticipated to perform arole or service during and immediately following anatural hazard event. The use of thresholds, overlay maps and codes, andthe setting of levels of assessment for uses in areasaffected by one or more natural hazard, to:– trigger a higher level of assessment if required,– encourage development to avoid hazard areas,2.5As a component of the State Interest Review, a localgovernment, using the Evaluation Report Template6,should describe the considerations which informedtheir decisions and approaches to the risk assessmentand its integration with the planning scheme structureand content.REFER TO: PART E: Supporting information1. Technical manual – A 'fit for purpose' approachin undertaking natural hazard studies and riskassessments– direct site specific hazard investigations and riskassessment where required,– apply development requirements to developmentlocating in hazard areas to avoid or mitigate riskto an acceptable or tolerable level, and– clearly communicate the risk to the community.REFER TO: PART E: Supporting information. echnical resources – Evaluation Report:T1. Bushfire hazards2. Flood hazards3. Landslide hazards The content of zone, local plan, overlay, anddevelopment codes that:– encourage particular development to avoidhazard areas,– direct site specific hazard investigations whererequired, and– apply development requirements to developmentlocating in hazard areas to avoid or mitigate riskto an acceptable or tolerable level.6See footnote 5State interest guideline - Natural hazards, risk and resilience - April 20169

PART BDepartment of Infrastructure, Local Government and PlanningPolicy 3Including provisions that require development to:(a) avoid natural hazard areas or mitigate the risks of the natural hazard to an acceptable or tolerable level, and(b) support, and not unduly burden, disaster management response or recovery capacity and capabilities, and(c) directly, indirectly and cumulatively avoid an increase in the severity of the natural hazard and the potentialfor damage on the site or to other properties, and(d) maintain or enhance natural processes and the protective function of landforms and vegetation that canmitigate risks associated with the natural hazard.The consideration of natural hazards and their risks shouldbe integrated within all elements of the planning scheme.3.3The strategic framework should acknowledge thepresence of natural hazards in the planning schemearea and establish the principle of only appropriatedevelopment occurring in natural hazard areas. Thisprinciple should guide the zoning of areas affectedby natural hazards and the level of assessment foruses within the zone. The level of assessment shouldincrease in line with the level of risk and vulnerabilityof the use, ensuring the development or infrastructurewill function during and immediately after a definedevent. Where the level of risk from natural hazards isintolerable, zoning that provides for vulnerable usesshould be avoided.3.4Development requirements in any zone, local plan,overlay and development codes should ensure thatdevelopment within an area affected by a naturalhazard:Provisions should be aligned to ensure that they do notinadvertently create conflict or inconsistency and therebyreduce the clarity of the intended outcomes for naturalhazard areas.The planning scheme should complement but not duplicateother regulation that mitigates the risk of natural hazardsto elements of development e.g. building assessmentprovisions.How to appropriately integratethe policy3.1For each natural hazard, planning schemes incorporateprovisions consistent with those model provisionscontained within Part D, tailored to meet the localneeds and circumstances.3.2In drafting of planning provisions, the use ofterminology that may reduce understanding of the riskof natural hazards to development should be avoided.(1) avoids or mitigates the risk to people, propertyand infrastructure to an acceptable or tolerablelevel,7(2) does not increase the number of people at risk toan intolerable level,(3) provides safe and efficient access and operationfor emergency services,(4) enables the self-evacuation of occupants andvisitors. Depending on the nature of the risk,requirements that enable people, prior to orduring an event, to safely shelter in place orevacuate via safe routes from the hazard area maybe appropriate,7In addition, state interest—Emissions and hazardous activities - Policy 6 relates to development involving the storage of hazardous chemicals,minimising the likelihood of inundation of storage areas by flood waters, refer to SPP Guideline—Emissions and hazardous activities for furtherinformation.State interest guideline - Natural hazards, risk and resilience - April 201610

PART BDepartment of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning(5) does not cause or contribute to an increase in thelevel of risk affecting surrounding areas, and(6) incorporates natural processes, landforms andvegetation that contribute to the mitigation ofnatural hazards and risks into developmentdesign, location and operation to enable thesenatural processes and functions to continue.3.5Where other regulation regulates development affectedby natural hazards, the planning scheme should avoidduplicating this assessment and regulation. In somecases the planning scheme plays a role in triggeringthese requirements, for example the BuildingRegulation 2006 allows a local government through itsplanning scheme to designate a ‘flood hazard area’ or‘bushfire prone areas’ whereby building requirementsrelated to the mitigation of risks are triggered.83.6As a component of the state interest review, a localgovernment, using the Evaluation Report Template9,should describe the considerations which informedtheir decisions and approaches to the drafting ofplanning provisions.REFER TO: PART E: Supporting information. echnical resources – Evaluation Report:T1. Bushfire hazards2. Flood hazards3. Landslide hazardsREFER TO: PART D: Model code provisionsPolicy 4Facilitating the location and design of community infrastructure to maintain the required level of functionalityduring and immediately after a natural hazard event.The ability of community infrastructure to functioneffectively during and after a natural hazard event can havea significant effect on the ability of a community to respondand recover from an event.Different types of community infrastructure perform differentroles during and after a natural hazard. For this reason,it is only intended that ‘where appropriate’ communityinfrastructure will need to function effectively during or aftera broad range of natural hazard events. For example, a stateroad performs a more important function than a bikewayduring and after a natural hazard event. Similarly a sportingfacility may not serve a particular function during a naturalhazard event, but may perform an important role in therecovery after an event.Community infrastructure should be located and designedin accordance with appropriate standards to achieve therequired level of functionality during or after a range ofnatural hazard events.89How to appropriately integratethe policy4.1Development requirements stipulate a minimumlevel of immunity e.g. Flood Immunity Level (AEP)or Recommended Storm Tide Event Level (RSTEL) orlocation and design standards for the establishmentof each type of community infrastructure consistentwith the role and level of service that the infrastructureis anticipated to perform during and immediatelyfollowing a natural hazard event.4.2Designation of land for community infrastructureshould consider the following: The function that the community infrastructureserves during or immediately after a natural hazardevent and whether or not it contributes to a broadercommunity infrastructure network.Note: State Development Assessment Provisions Module 10 Coastal protection, incorporates development requirements for developments incoastal hazard areas where the state is responsible for assessing or deciding development applications.See footnote 5State interest guideline - Natural hazards, risk and resilience - April 201611

PART BDepartment of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning The standards proposed for the siting and design ofthe community infrastructure. The consequences of a loss of service. The community’s tolerance to loss of service duringor immediately after a natural hazard event. The natural hazard scenario under which thecommunity infrastructure will cease to functioneffectively. The compatible of the siting of the infrastructurewith the level of hazard. Where natural hazard areas cannot be avoided,whether the risks associated with the natural hazardcan be mitigated to acceptable or tolerable levelsto achieve the required level of service during andimmediately after a defined event.10 The likelihood and consequences of a future naturalhazard event that exceeds the defined event.4.3As a component of the state interest review, a localgovernment, using the Evaluation Report Template10,should describe the considerations which informedtheir decisions and approaches to planning forcommunity infrastructure.REFER TO: PART E: Supporting Information1. Technical resources – Guidance for consideringnatural hazards, risk and resilience when designatingland for community infrastructureREFER TO: PART E: Supporting information. echnical resources – Evaluation Report:T1. Bushfire hazards2. Flood hazards3. Landslide hazardsSee footnote 5State interest guideline - Natural hazards, risk and resilience - April 201612

Policy 5Maintaining erosion prone areas within a coastal management district as development-free buffer zones unless:(a) the development cannot be feasibly located elsewhere, and(b) it is coastal-dependent development, or is temporary, readily relocatable or able to be abandoneddevelopment.The declaration of erosion prone areas along the coastseeks to identify the areas at risk from coastal erosion. Thecoastal management district identifies those lots wherenew development should be set back outside the erosionprone area to provide an adequate buffer zone

State interest—natural hazards, risk and resilience The risks associated with natural hazards are avoided or mitigated to protect people and property and enhance the community's resilience to natural hazards. Core concepts Fit for purpose Fit for purpose includes a flexible approach to undertaking natural hazard studies and risk assessments.