The purpose of the Middle Harbour Flood Study Project Working Group is to work with Council and provide feedback from a local perspective. The Working Group has been established to provide a forum for discussion between the community, Council, State Government authorities and the consultant undertaking the study.

The early stages of the project were reviewed by Council’s former Flood Management Committee which was disbanded in February 2022. The Working Group will review the final stages of the project.

The first two-hour meeting commenced 6pm on Wednesday, 10 April 2024. There will likely be a total of 2 or 3 meetings.

Committee Members

The draft report is currently under review by Council, State Government and Committee Representatives. Once it is has been updated, the draft report will be presented to Council with a request to put it on public exhibition. It is anticipated that it will go to the Council meeting in November, and that the public exhibition will be in early 2025.

The public exhibition will be notified in the weekly Council e-news and all property owners within the Probable Maximum Flood extent will receive a letter at the commencement, with details about how to find more information on Council’s website and how to book a face-to-face meeting or a phone call to discuss flooding on individual properties. Submissions during the public exhibition will be collated and provided to the Consultant for consideration and potential updating of the report.

We are preparing a draft flood study to identify and map the overland flow paths in the catchments that drain into Middle Harbour. This will help with managing the flood risks in this area. The study area comprises parts of Belrose, Davidson, Frenchs Forest, Forestville and Killarney Heights.

Between 11 February 2022 and 27 March 2022, we asked the local community to help us better understand the flood behaviour in the catchment.

We invited you to share your experiences and knowledge of any flooding in the Middle Harbour catchments by completing our online survey. 331 surveys were completed, thank you to everyone who provided feedback.

This information has been used by the Consultant in the preparation of the draft report, which is expected to go on public exhibition in early 2025.

If you have an enquiry, please email the Floodplain Planning & Response team on floodplain@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au or call us on 1300 434 434 (during business hours).

Northern Beaches Council is responsible for the identification of flood prone land in the Local Government Area (LGA). We also play a key role in the management of risks to life and property from flooding.

One of our most important activities is to increase our community's awareness of flooding so that people are better able to understand and plan for the flood risks they face.

A flood study aims to:

- define existing flood behaviour (including levels and extents)

- help identify flooding problem areas in the catchment

- assess the impacts of climate change.

Once the draft Middle Harbour Catchments Flood Study has been prepared and put on public exhibition, the community will have the opportunity to discuss the results with Council Staff and the engineering consultants undertaking the study.