Common Questions

Changes to a Planning Scheme are called amendments and can be minor or major in nature.  An amendment may involve a change to a planning scheme map (for example: a change to an overlay), a change to the written part of the scheme, or both. Amending a planning scheme is a statutory process that follows the Minister’s rules and guidelines which are set by the State government.

This amendment to the Planning Scheme is considered to be a major as a number of substantial changes have been made to the Flood hazard overlay mapping and associated development controls. A major amendment follows a number of steps that includes state interest reviews as well as formal community consultation.  Ultimately the State Minister will advise council post the formal consultation as to whether the amendment can be adopted and take effect.

Formal notification of the Draft Planning Scheme Amendment for Floodplain Management is part of a statutory process which is outlined in the Minister’s Rules and Guidelines. Notification will run from 1 February through to 28 February 2022. This is the formal period for anyone to provide feedback by way of submission on the proposed amendment.  

This amendment seeks to replace the existing Flood hazard overlay mapping in the scheme as well as the scheme provisions related to flooding ie. Table of Assessment for Flood hazard overlay and the Flood hazard overlay code. You can view the changes either by accessing the documents tab in the righthand panel to see the mapping and scheme changes or you can see all the changes in our interactive online planning scheme . 

Yes. The current Planning scheme which commenced in 2016 already maps our potential flood hazard areas and identifies development controls. Amendments are required from time to time to keep a Planning Scheme up to date and effective. Council recognises that the scheme is a living document and amendments allow us to update our scheme to take into account the most recent and accurate information like new or updated flood studies.

Throughout 2020 and the early half of 2021 council engaged hydraulic engineers to provide a more up to date flood model for key at-risk communities of Bluff, Emerald and Sapphire. This data together with all of the endorsed flood studies across the region has been used to update the Flood hazard overlay mapping. Further council has reviewed the development controls that sit within the planning scheme to ensure the best management of development to first avoid areas where the risk is too great  and secondly where the risk can not be avoided to manage the risk through the setting of floor heights and use of resilient materials.

You can have your say by making a submission (a feedback statement) about your views towards the amendment and what is proposed. The proposed amendment is available to view online via our portal where you can see what is proposed to change (like a tracked change version) and you can make a submission directly online.  Across in the Documents section of page is also a PDF version of the proposed changes and new proposed mapping.  

Whilst the direct online approach is preferred method for submission, other avenues are also available including emails (planningscheme@chrc.qld.gov.au) or over the counter at a council office. All submissions are required to be reviewed, considered and responded to by council and will help inform any final changes that should be made before it returns to the Minister asking for approval to adopt the amendment. 

For enquiries about this consultation, please contact the Planning & Development team at council on 1300 242 686 or email planningscheme@chrc.qld.gov.au.