Councils' climate change planning warnings to be curbed

By a staff reporter

NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard will release a draft circular aimed at stopping local councils from imposing planning requirements based on climate change projections prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), according to The Australian newspaper.

Some NSW councils place warnings of coastal erosion risks on their planning approval certificates for homes based on projections that sea levels will rise in the future. In addition there are time-limited consents which permit construction of buildings but warn these will need to be pulled down if climate change projections prove accurate.

Some property owners have been concerned that such warnings undermine the values of their properties. However councils are concerned that without such warning they may be held at least partly legally liable for damage such properties could sustain if climate change is not mitigated.