Brian Matthews - Development & Projects

03/03/2022

Creek and waterway flooding. Be better informed and better understand the risks.

In 2020 a wrote a series of short articles on how to check if a property floods in Brisbane and the different types of flooding. I'm sharing these again for those who may be interested in the basics. These are factual articles aimed at checking known flooding risk at the due diligence stage.

Here's Part 3 - Creek and waterway flooding

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/creek-waterway-flooding-part-3-understanding-brian-matthews/

There are 5 types of creek and waterway flooding in Brisbane. Here are my tips to quickly assess what impact creek flooding may have on your development or property.

02/03/2022

River flooding. Be better informed and better understand the risks. Here's Part 2 - River Flooding.

https://lnkd.in/gKVYxXT4

There are 5 types of river flooding in Brisbane. Here are my tips to quickly assess what impact river flooding will have on your development or property.

01/03/2022

Flooding has once again affected Brisbane. In 2020 a wrote a series of short articles on how to check if a property floods in Brisbane and the different types of flooding. I'm sharing these again for those who may be interested in the basics. These are factual articles aimed at checking known flooding risk at the due diligence stage.

Here's Part 1 - Understanding Flooding in Brisbane

Flooding has once again affected Brisbane. In 2020 a wrote a series of short articles on how to check if a property floods in Brisbane and the different...

17/10/2020

I dropped by one of the sites we are coordinating. Here's a quick video on what to consider when inspecting a site for subdivision potential. What's happening on-site can be more important than the DA and Council approval.

- Slope
- Type of road (arterial?)
- Gully pits
- Street trees
- Bus stops
- Power poles

Do you need a proven quick checklist to run through each time you look at a site? If so, download our "Shortlist". It has 10 must check items to help you determine if a site can be subdivided. Apply this list to each site and you will very quickly build your list of possible sites. Go here - https://lnkd.in/gVWbGNf

12/10/2020

Here's my Top Tip about the true cost of a 2-lot subdivision in Brisbane. Watch my video for more information.

To see the 3 stages of a subdivision and a breakdown of the costs - download the budget sheet here: https://lnkd.in/gkUNvDH

08/10/2020

Subdivision: Its easy, right? You find a site, check it’s OK, buy it, get a DA approval, do a few things to get the site ready, subdivide and sell. Boom, you’ve made money.

You already know what I’m about to say. Its just not that simple. Yes, even small subdivisions can be complex. You may think you have a great site, but do you? Obtaining the DA from Council was easy. So now its simply op works right? Its only sewer and water?

The reality is most projects are rarely simple and all too often I hear from new and experienced developers alike just how difficult a project was for them. The most common thing I hear is “I didn’t realise how much there was to organise” or “No one told me that I needed that!”

Don’t get trapped in this situation.

We can help you with the whole subdivision process - start to finish.

This includes due diligence, the DA and also coordinating all op works, engineering and survey right up to new titles.

Recent projects from 2020 that we have coordinated for clients:

10,000m2 transport depot @ Willawong
2-lot subdivision @ St Lucia
2-lot subdivision @ Herston
2-lot subdivision @ Mount Gravatt East
2 into 3 lot subdivision @ Cannon Hill
2-Lot subdivision @ Sunnybank
2-lot subdivision @ Bardon
2-lot subdivision @ Marsden
4-lot subdivision @ Chermside
Boundary realignment & future 3-lot subdivision @ Tarragindi
3 townhouses / 3-lot subdivision @ Moorooka

All of these projects include a combination of due diligence, development application and town planning, sourcing and managing consultants and coordinating op works.

If you are looking for a development consultant that won’t leave you wondering what to do next after the DA approval, get in touch today.

07/10/2020

The free lodgement fees for Brisbane City Council DA has ended. But the 50% discount for domestic and house DAs is still open until 31 December 2020. If you have a new house or extension that needs a DA, you can save $944 if you lodge before 31 Dec.

1) House / Extension - save $944 if lodged before 31 Dec 2020.

2) Small-scale building work to house or unit - no fee if lodged before 31 Dec 2020. Save up to $590.

Message us today if you have a question.

04/03/2020

Our mini-series on understanding flooding in Brisbane continues as we look at understanding CREEK flooding. Very similar to river flooding, but with a few differences.

Creek and waterway flooding is flooding from local creeks and waterways when the water flow exceeds the capacity of the waterway. Heavy and extended rainfall events can result in waterways becoming flooded.

In the Brisbane City Plan, creek flooding is divided into 5 ‘Flood Planning Areas’ or FPAs. I think it’s better described as levels of increasing flood intensity and risk. The levels go from 5 being the lowest to 1 being the highest.

Now like all things town planning and engineering, flood planning can be highly technical and complex. As a developer or someone who wants to develop a property, the key is for you to be able to quickly ascertain what flooding overlay may apply and what does it mean for your property.

Here are my TIPS for doing this quickly and effectively.

I’m going to abbreviate for everyone’s sake. Therefore, “Brisbane creek/waterway flood planning area 5” will simply be “Creek 5.”

Creek 5:
May flood, but unlikely. Very low risk of creek flooding. Risk increasing toward the year 2100. Generally fine with no known impact for development. There are no town planning requirements.

Creek 4:
Generally OK, with low flood risk. You should check if there are flood floor levels available in the Council Floodwise report (click here). Your development should comply with the stated levels to ensure compliance and avoid a development application.

Creek 3:
Increasing risk and likelihood of flooding. May have flooded in the past. Development may need flood engineering and assessment to demonstrate compliance with the City Plan. Important to check flood levels in the Floodwise report. Creek 3 requires a flood report for residential subdivision and industrial and most other types of development. New houses will need a 2.5m undercroft or a site specific flood risk assessment.

Creek 1 and 2:
High risk of flooding. Vital to check flood levels in the Floodwise report. All residential development will require a flood risk assessment. New houses will need a 2.5m undercroft.

When undertaking due diligence for clients, we first look at the flood overlay to understand what the mapped extent and levels are and then we consider what that means in the context of the development proposed.

Increasing risk and the likelihood of flooding. May have flooded in the past. Development may need flood engineering and assessment to demonstrate compliance with the City Plan. Important to check flood levels in the Floodwise report. Creek 3 requires a flood report for residential subdivision and industrial and most other types of development. New houses will need a 2.5m undercroft or a site-specific flood risk assessment. nt.

03/03/2020

There are 5 types of river flooding in Brisbane. Here are my TIPS to quickly assess what impact river flooding will have on your development or property.

Brisbane River flooding is caused by water overflowing the banks of the Brisbane river. Quite simply, the river cannot hold the capacity of water flowing down it. Think 1975 and 2011 floods.

In the Brisbane City Plan, river flooding is divided into 5 ‘Flood Planning Areas’ or FPAs. I think it’s better described as levels of increasing flood intensity and risk. The levels go from 5 being the lowest to 1 being the highest.

Now like all things town planning and engineering, flood planning can be highly technical and complex. As a developer or someone who wants to develop a property, the key is for you to be able to quickly ascertain what flooding overlay may apply and what does it mean to your property.

Here are my TIPS for doing this quickly and effectively. I’m going to abbreviate for everyone’s sake. In fact, I think we can abbreviate lots of town planning terms because quite frankly most of them a ridiculously long and complex for no reason.

Therefore, “Brisbane River flood planning area 5” will simply be “River 5.”

River 5:
May flood, but unlikely. Very low risk of river flooding. Risk increasing toward the year 2100. Generally fine with no known impact for development. There are no town planning requirements.

River 4:
Generally OK, with low flood risk. You should check if there are flood floor levels available in the Council Floodwise report (click here). Your development should comply with the stated levels to ensure compliance and avoid a development application.

River 3:
Increasing risk and likelihood of flooding. May have flooded in the past. Development may need flood engineering and assessment to demonstrate compliance with the City Plan. Important to check flood levels in the Floodwise report. If your site is River 3, have a town planner check your proposal against the City Plan requirements. For land subdivision, River 3 and above will trigger flood engineering and usually require a development application.

River 2a & 2b:
High risk of flooding. Vital to check flood levels in the Floodwise report. Flood engineering required for a dwelling house and structural integrity.

River 1:
The highest mapped flood risk. Almost guaranteed to flood at some point. Not suitable for houses or residential in most cases. If in doubt, invest in a houseboat.

When undertaking due diligence for clients, we first look at the flood overlay to understand what the mapped extent and levels are and then we consider what that means in the context of the development proposed. A house, land subdivision and industrial building will all have different planning requirements.

02/03/2020

Let's talk flooding and flood overlays in Brisbane. In a nutshell, there are 3 types of flooding.

Brisbane River flooding:
Flooding caused directly from water from the Brisbane River.

Creek/waterway flooding:
Flooding from local creeks and waterways when the water flow exceeds capacity. Commonly affected by large rainfall events.

Overland flow:
Flooding associated with large volumes of stormwater generated by rainfall and moving across the landscape from high points to low. Generally a result of large or persistent rainfall events.

If you are buying sites for development, you must check to ensure the sites are not affected by the Flood Overlay. If a site is mapped for one of these overlays, you need to understand what that effect will be and if it can be either mitigated or of its a project killer.

We can help advise you on this during your due diligence.

In the next post, I'll look at each of these more closely and how they can affect different development types.

13/02/2020

Video 2....