Mayor Jon Raven has called for climate change projections to be reigned in and controversial one-in-2000-year flood mapping to be scrapped in a letter to the Queensland premier.
The typed letter was sent to premier David Crisafulli last week ahead of a meeting scheduled for 14 October about new Logan City Council flood mapping.
The letter opens with “Dear Premier” – but the title has been struck through in black pen and replaced with a handwritten “David”.
Over almost two pages, Cr Raven has told Mr Crisafulli of two “recurring concerns” residents have raised via formal submissions to the council’s new draft planning scheme.
The first was with the risk-based approach to flood regulation, which the state government required all councils implement in 2022 following recommendations from a Commission of Inquiry into the 2011 floods.
In Logan, these risks are represented by three colours – dark blue (high risk), light blue (moderate risk) and yellow (low risk).
While dark blue highlights properties potentially impacted by floods as likely as one in 20 years, residents and councillors have expressed concern with the yellow risk category, which symbolises properties hit by a one-in-2000-year flood and rarer.
It is understood the extent of the floods considered was up to council discretion.
However, Cr Raven said the state planning rules and guidelines “oblige” council to incorporate the “most unlikely and extreme flood events”.
“… that are difficult to accurately predict,” the letter read.
“Residents have raised that from a practical perspective the probability is so remote that they question the real value for it.
“All it seems to do is give insurance companies an excuse to increase premiums and buyers a reason to make low ball offers, despite the risk being as low as 0.05% (1 in 2000) annual chance of flooding.
“I suggest that there is no reason to go past the 0.5% (1 in 200) annual chance flood risk as these events are already very rare.”
Cr Raven also called for “changes to how climate change is included as a natural hazard”.
“Calculating the impact of climate change beyond a 10-year horizon isn’t meaningful, especially given the life of each planning scheme and its flood mapping is only 10 years.
“Residents are questioning the accuracy and benefit of predicting the impacts of climate change beyond a 5-10-year timeframe.
“This view is shared both by residents who are concerned about climate risk and those who are sceptical of the impact of climate risk. While climate change is a divisive subject, both sides agree it’s very difficult to predict.”
Cr Raven ended the letter thanking Mr Crisafulli for agreeing to meet with him and deputy mayor Scott Bannan to discuss the flood mapping issue and “potential process improvements”.
“There are obviously many challenges with the process, but council’s goal is to provide affected residents with meaningful and accurate information in the interests of their safety, and also, any land use improvements they wish to make in the future.”
