Council has a legal obligation to ensure that any new land use and development in the district is not at risk from natural hazards. Its main objective in producing these maps is to get a better understanding of the location and spatial extent of natural hazards such as flooding, ponding, coastal erosion and inundation and mine subsidence, and to understand the level of risk each hazard poses to different types of land use and development.
Damage caused by these hazards can have a major impact on property, individuals and the community. The impact is not only economic, but social, emotional and in some cases can be life-threatening.
The maps help Council to ensure that risk to future development in hazard areas is appropriately assessed so that it either avoids high risk hazard areas or is designed to reduce hazard risk where appropriate to do so. Appropriate assessment of natural hazards also helps to ensure that new development does not increase the risk to surrounding properties.