THE new Queensland Coastal Plan shows land earmarked for several developments in the northern Gold Coast region is at risk of serious flooding.

The document highlights a significant percentage of the land around the Coomera Town Centre as a ”high hazard area” because of projected storm surges and an increased number of cyclones.

Urban Development Institute of Australia Gold Coast president Steve Harrison said the industry was grappling to come to terms with the implications of the document.

View the Coastal Hazard Areas MapStorm Tide Inundation Area

The goldcoast.com.au article raises questions on just how the report will effect new development around the Coomera Town Centre:

”There are a range of major developments planned for this area and we need some clear direction on what this document means,” he said.

Colliers International Gold Coast director Stewart Gilchrist said the possibility that the land could be locked up was worrying for the development industry.

Environment and Resource Management Minister Kate Jones released the plan earlier this month, saying there was ”no room for complacency when planning Queensland’s long-term future and the challenges must be confronted now”.

Government planners will be able to restrict development in ”high hazard areas” after the coastal plan is passed by the State Government later this year and councils will be required to come up with risk-mitigation strategies for these sections of land.

Read the full article written by Lucy Ardern on the 14th of  April, 2011