June 2023 Update
Following concerns raised by residents during the public exhibition of the draft amendment in 2022, Council:
- engaged a consultant to undertake an independent peer review of the Waverley Flood Study and draft DCP amendment
- engaged a consultant to undertake an independent review of the potential impacts on property prices
- researched the potential insurance implications for residents
- contacted residents who raised concerns or provided a submission on the Draft Amendment.
Council noted the findings, which were presented on 6 June 2023 at the Strategic Planning and Development Committee (SPDC) meeting. Officers will provide a further update to Council at an upcoming briefing session. A final report will then be presented to Council with proposed DCP controls and consultation outcomes, at a later date.
Public webinar on draft DCP flood amendment

Frequently Asked Questions
Council’s response to residents’ concerns and next steps
Flood Planning and home insurance
- My property has been tagged as low, medium or high flood risk – how will this affect my insurance premium?
- What should you do if you think an insurer has assessed your flood risk incorrectly.
Flood Planning and property values
- My property has been tagged as low, medium or high flood risk in the draft DCP amendment – how will this affect my property value?
- How is information on flood maps and flood risks communicated to potential buyers of property?
Proposed changes to planning controls and flood maps
- Why is Council proposing these planning controls?
- Why was my Flood Risk Precinct in the draft DCP different to my neighbours?
- I’ve lived in my property for 5, 10, 20 years and have never seen a flood – why is my property still tagged as being subject to a flood risk?
- My house is on a hill, how can it be at risk of flooding?
- I own an apartment on the first (or higher) floor – how can I be at risk of flooding?
- The proposed DCP changes are too technical and would seem to require expert consideration as to whether and how they apply to an individual property.
- How will the Flood Risk Precincts and new DCP controls affect the development application process?
- How were the Flood Risk Precinct categories defined?
- What alternative methods of assessing the flood risk to private property and subsequent conditions of development were considered as part of the strategic review process? Why was the Flood Risk Precinct method of Low, Medium, High categorisation chosen
- Why do we need Flood Risk Precincts (Low, Medium and High categories) and planning controls related to flooding?
- How does the Type A, B and C categorisation from the Waverley LGA Flood Study relate to the Low, Medium and High risk categorisation within the FRP and associated DCP controls?
Waverley LGA Flood Study
- The letter from Council states “The adopted flood study has already been endorsed by Council and cannot be changed, neither can the categorisation of risk”.
- What consultation has been undertaken? The letter I received in 2022 was the first I’ve heard about the Flood Study, Flood Risk Precincts and DCP changes.
- Why are there multiple versions of the Flood Study available on the internet?
Council’s role in managing flood risk through its stormwater drainage network
Project updates
Consultation
The proposed amendments were placed on public exhibition from 23 June - 21 July 2022.
Letters were sent to impacted properties advising residents of the relevant risk category for their property (low, medium or high risk).
How feedback was collected
1. Check to see if your property is included in the flood planning area by typing in your address into Discover - Council's online mapping tool
2. Download and view the documents on exhibition from the document library.
3. Review the Frequently Asked Questions.
4. Provide your feedback. You can have your say by:
- Filling in the online survey
- Emailing: info@waverley.nsw.gov.au
- Mailing: c/o General Manager, PO Box 9, Bondi Junction NSW 1355
Please quote reference ‘SF21/4935’ for any written correspondence. Please note that all submissions will form part of Council’s public record and as such may be made publicly available. Your name and contact details will be kept confidential.