City planning consultant Roy Somerville says new flood maps in Logan don’t make sense.
“The new developments in Logan Reserve and Loganholme, they’re all built on flood plains, and they allowed that, but it doesn’t come up on the new map,” he said.
“Ikea at Slacks Creek, the carpark always goes under during the floods yet on the map the water has barely touched it.”
Mr Somerville said council had not considered the economic impact of this plan.
“Two properties on the Pacific Hwy at Slack Creeks have just sold for $80 million. According to the new maps they are now completely under water, so now what is going to happen with them? Will it be unusable?
“Is council going to pay for people’s homes and properties that are now considered flood plains and no longer worth anything?”
Mr Somerville, who has worked on flood cases for more than 40 years, said there is a reasonable chance council may be liable for millions of dollars in compensation.
“In 2015, Moreton Bay Regional Council undertook a revision of their Planning Scheme that included the review of their flood policy,” he said.
In that case, flood mapping was overturned by the state government, labelled “unrealistic”.
“In Logan City Council’s case, the plan has been conducted with as little public involvement as possible. Council has changed the Flood Policy without enabling the public to comment,” Mr Somerville said.
“The economic impact does not appear to have been considered.”
