Planning for landslide

Landslides are a natural hazard that can be triggered by rainfall, earthworks and the failure of structures like retaining walls.

They tend to occur on steep and unstable slopes and can impact people, property, infrastructure, roads and the natural environment.

Our City Plan includes:

  • a landslide hazard overlay map based on landslide susceptibility modelling that identifies where landslides may potentially occur across the region
  • a landslide hazard overlay code that regulates development on land mapped as moderate to very high susceptibility.

Is your property in a landslide risk area?

To find out whether your property is susceptible to landslides:

  1. Go to the City Plan interactive mapping tool.
  2. In the map layers in the map tools to the right of the map, deselect Zones.
  3. Select Overlays and open the dropdown, select Landslide hazard.
  4. Open the Legend to see colour-coded zones.
  5. Type your address into the search bar and choose it when it comes up.
  6. Refer to the Legend to check the landslide susceptibility rating applicable to the property.

Buying or building in areas susceptible to landslides

Building in areas susceptible to landslides may require assessment under the City Plan and Queensland Building Regulations.

New development may require a site-based geotechnical assessment to be undertaken by a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) to determine the landslide risk to the development and neighbouring sites.

Our City design principles and guidelines, along with the handy resource below, provide guidance for new buildings, renovations and general maintenance in areas susceptible to landslides:

For more information, contact us on 07 5582 8708 or email mail@goldcoast.qld.gov.au. You can also contact a planning or building consultant.

Proposed landslide mapping update:

We are currently reviewing our landslide susceptibility mapping to improve the city's resilience to natural hazards.

Draft mapping was presented to the community for feedback in 2020 and further revised mapping is currently being developed. The proposed new mapping will use updated high-resolution photography and topography and consider geological and other factors to give a better representation of landslide risk.

It will be included in the New Planning Scheme and will be submitted to the State Government for review and assessment, followed by further public consultation.

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