Planning for coastal erosion
The State Government predicts that the Gold Coast could experience more frequent and stronger cyclones and that sea levels could rise by up to 0.8 meters by the year 2100.
This could cause more coastal erosion, higher storm tides and more frequent flooding in low-lying areas, increasing risks to people and property.
Our City Plan's Coastal erosion hazard overlay code outlines the minimum requirements to reduce the threat of coastal erosion for developments near the ocean or our waterways.
Is your property in a coastal erosion hazard area?
To find out City Plan coastal hazard requirements for your property:
- Go to the City Plan interactive mapping tool.
- In the map layers in the map tools to the right of the map, select Administrative and other supporting information and the Coastal hazard supporting information dropdown.
- Select Overlays and open the dropdown, select Coastal erosion hazard.
- Open the Legend to see the descriptions.
- Type your address into the search bar and choose it when it comes up.
- Refer to the Legend to check the level of coastal erosion hazard applicable to the property.
The State government has also identified areas vulnerable to coastal erosion and tidal inundation. This mapping can be found here: State Government Coastal erosion prone area mapping system.
Buying or building in a coastal erosion hazard area
Building in a coastal erosion hazard area may require additional assessment under the City Plan and the Queensland Building Regulations. To find out more, contact us on 07 5582 8708 or email mail@goldcoast.qld.gov.au. A planning or building consultant can also assist you.
Requirements and regulations apply for building within a waterway building setback area. Find practical information in our Development in waterway building setback guidelines(PDF, 905KB).
Don’t forget — your property plan isn’t complete without appropriate insurance. A simple check of your insurance today can save big headaches tomorrow.