How to Read your Flood Certificate
The main things you want to read on your flood certificate are below:
Why do I need to know how to read a flood information certificate
The flood information certificate can determine if you can do the development, its very viability as well as the expense of doing so as it determines if you can submit the project as complying development.
Minimum Habitable Flood Level:
This is the minimum level you need to build to, have a look at your survey or look at council's site contours to check how far above the natural ground level this is. If it is very high, it may change what you want to do, you may decide to go up another level for example.
Location of minimum Habitable Flood Level
Complying Development: Flood Exclusionary Categories
There are tickboxes below this, if any of them are ticked on then you won't be able to do Complying Development and also you may need to get a flood report which can be expensive (approx. $12,000). If there are no boxes ticked then it is good, if they are ticked then that is bad and makes doing things on your site a lot more difficult.
Example of a Good Flood Certificate where no boxes are ticked
Example of a Bad Flood Certificate where boxes are ticked, it will prevent you doing Complying Development.
High Risk or High Hazard Area
If High Risk or High Hazard Area are ticked then council if unlikely to support further densification of the site for residential purposes, they may consider a commercial purpose such as an office, they will not consider anything that makes it denser in a residential way. You can only keep what you have, not add onto it.
If these two boxes are ticked, council will not support further residential densification. This is a Bad Flood Certificate to get back.
