Introduction

Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDHV) has been commissioned to prepare the Mascot, Rosebery and Eastlakes (MRE) Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan (FRMS&P) on behalf of Bayside Council (Council) and overseen by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH).

Stage 1 (Data Collection) and Stage 2 (Flood Study) of the NSW Floodplain Management Program were completed by WMAwater in 2015 (Reference 3). The document herein presents Stages 3 and 4 of the NSW State Government’s Floodplain Management Program; the Mascot, Rosebery and Eastlakes Floodplain Risk Management Study and the Mascot Rosebery and Eastlakes Floodplain Risk Management Plan.

Study Objectives

The primary purpose of the FRMS&P is to identify, assess and compare various risk management options whilst considering opportunities for environmental enhancement as part of the mitigation works (Reference 1). This study will assess a suite of flood risk management measures and their associated tangible and intangible costs to determine a range of options for inclusion in the Floodplain Risk Management Plan and potential future implementation.

Floodplain Risk Management Study Objectives

The aim of a Floodplain Risk Management Study is to assess a range of flood mitigation strategies to alleviate flood affectation in a Local Government Area (LGA), in accordance with the NSW Government’s Flood Policy. The objectives of this study include: - Reduce the flood hazard and risk to people and property in the existing community and to ensure future development is controlled in a manner consistent with the flood hazard and risk (taking into account the potential impacts of climate change). - Reduce private and public losses due to flooding. - Protect and where possible enhance the floodplain environment. - Be consistent with the objectives of relevant State policies, in particular, the Government’s Flood Prone Land and State Rivers and Estuaries Policies and satisfy the objectives and requirements of the Environmental Planning Assessment Act, 1979.

Floodplain Risk Management Plan Objectives

The Floodplain Risk Management Plan aims to present a range of flood mitigation recommendations to address the existing flood liability of an LGA. The objectives of the plan are outlined below: - Ensure that the floodplain risk management plan is fully integrated with Council’s existing corporate, business and strategic plans, existing and proposed planning proposals, meets Council’s obligations under the Local Government Act, 1993 and has the support of the local community. - Ensure actions arising out of the plans are sustainable in social, environmental, ecological and economic terms. - Ensure that the floodplain risk management plan is fully integrated with the local emergency management plan (flood plan) and other relevant catchment management plans. - Establish a program for implementation and suggest a mechanism for the funding of the plan, which should include priorities, staging, funding, responsibilities, constraints and monitoring.