Development of Regulatory Codes and Guidelines to Support the State Planning Policy for Coastal Management

Background

Client: Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management

The Queensland Government Department of Environment and Natural Resources contracted Buckley Vann Town Planning Consultants and BMT to assist with the development of a proposed planning and assessment code and associated guidelines to support Coastal Management. Working closely with Departmental officers, the joint Buckley Vann/BMT team prepared the following documentation: a draft regulatory code for coastal management under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 for consideration by local government in preparing planning schemes; a draft guideline to assist in interpreting the code; and draft case studies illustrating how the code could function if approved in the context of potential development.

Outcomes and Benefits

BMT’s specific role in the project was to provide drafting support and technical guidance in terms of key coastal management issues including:

• Erosion and storm tide inundation hazards;
• Public access;
• Coastal ecology;
• Surface water quality;
• Dredging;
• Reclamation; and
• Other coastal development.

The project demonstrated effective integration of coastal science and engineering concepts into planning and decision making with the resultant draft code drawing upon best practice approaches elsewhere and drawing of coastal management issues into a single comprehensive instrument.  

Services and Expertise Provided:

• Coastal management policy and planning review;
• Technical drafting of regulatory provisions and acceptable solutions;
• Development of supporting guidelines; and
• Liaison with Government and stakeholders.