IT is now a whole lot easier to access information about the flood risks of properties across Port Stephens.

Port Stephens Council will issue Flood Certificates from 1 July 2016, allowing property owners, developers and potential property owners to apply online for all the information they need to know on one piece of paper for a small fee.

Sally Callander, Council’s Draining and Flooding Engineer, said the potential for flooding from rivers, creeks and the ocean exists in many parts of Port Stephens, and has been reinforced with recent weather events.

“These certificates will provide a better picture of the flood risks of individual properties,” Mrs Callander said.

“One of the most common enquiries we get is from people wanting to find out what the flood risk is for their property, and until now we could only provide limited information in response to the questions they asked us.

“Now, because of improved flood mapping, we can quickly and easily access a range of information about particular properties, including the potential flood levels, and provide it in a snapshot for property owners.”

“Council often receives development applications for flood prone land that don’t factor the risk of flooding, and we have to advise the applicant to revise the design or the plans to incorporate that,” she said.

“This results in costly time delays or trips back to the architects to draw up new plans.

“The new requirement will identify at the very start of the process whether flooding is an issue for new developments, and save a lot of time and money for our customers.”

To determine whether a property is flood prone and if a flood certificate is available for a particular property, people are encouraged to first refer to Council’s Flood Hazard Mapping on the website.