The Queensland Government Department of Environment and Natural Resources contracted Buckley Vann Town Planning Consultants and BMT WBM in 2010 to assist the Department with the development of a proposed planning and assessment code and associated guidelines to support the State Planning Policy for Coastal Management currently in development.

Working closely with Departmental officers, the joint Buckley Vann – BMT WBM 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 and for assessment by DERM and other IDAS agencies; 
• A draft guideline to assist in interpreting the code including detailed technical guidance on interpreting proposed specific outcomes and acceptable solutions within the code; and 
• Draft case studies illustrating how the code could function if approved in the context of potential development applications.

BMT WBM’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 the drawing together of various coastal management issues into a single comprehensive instrument.  

Related Markets

• Water and Environment

Related Capabilities

• Environmental Assessment and Management

Related Companies

• BMT Eastern Australia