COUNCIL has endorsed the Draft Clarence Town Flood Study for public exhibition.
The study was jointly funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Dungog Shire Council under the NSW Floodplain Management Program and represents the first comprehensive and unified assessment of all flood mechanisms affecting Clarence Town and its surrounding localities.
“It provides an important evidence base to support the implementation of the Clarence Town Structure Plan, ensuring that Council, landowners and developers have access to reliable and consistent flood information when making decisions about future land use,” Council said in a statement.
“By consolidating and updating previous fragmented and outdated assessments, the study significantly reduces the need for individual site-specific flood studies to accompany development applications, streamlining the planning process and improving certainty for applicants.
“It also incorporates climate change projections and delivers new flood planning area mapping, emergency response classifications and risk-based development guidance – tools that will help strengthen long-term resilience and guide responsible growth across the catchment.”
Council resolved to place the Draft Study on six weeks’ public exhibition from 12 January to 1 March 2026, including a staffed engagement session in Clarence Town and direct mail notification to affected landowners.
Submissions will be reviewed and incorporated into the final study, which is due for completion by 30 June 2026.
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