THE Victorian Coalition Government last week announced the implementation of new guidelines to manage possible sea level rise and storm events in order to deliver common sense and certainty to coastal planning.

Releasing the Coastal Climate Change Advisory Committee Report last week, Planning Minister Matthew Guy said clearer policy was required to enable appropriate development to continue with certainty.

"To support effective adaptation at local and regional levels, the State Government has an important role to play in providing information about risks, as well as providing an effective planning system that supports responsible and sensible decision-making," Mr Guy said.

Mr Guy said the Coalition Government would deliver greater coastal planning certainty by implementing the following actions:

• Revising the State Planning Policy Framework to recognise incremental possible sea level rises to the year 2040. As such floor levels will be increased by an additional 0.2 metres over current one-in-100-year flood levels for new urban infill development.
• Maintaining the existing long term commitment to plan for not less than 0.8 metre sea level rise by 2100 in new greenfield developments outside existing town boundaries.
• Issuing detailed guidelines to Catchment Management Authorities to assist them to provide clear and consistent advice to councils assessing land use and development.
• Releasing statewide inundation dataset and guidance material which will provide information to help state agencies, local governments, land managers, individuals and businesses undertake adaptation planning.

"I am pleased to release the Coastal Climate Change Advisory Committee Report and my response to it, to provide opportunities for councils and communities to familiarise themselves with its recommendations prior to state planning policy changes later this month," Mr Guy said.

"The release of this report and my response to it will clear up much of the uncertainty associated with coastal planning across regional Victoria and reinstitute coastal planning policy that is based on common sense.

"Regional Victoria bore the brunt of much of the previous Labor government's costal planning paralysis with moratoriums and extreme controls which locked many towns out of being able to grow sensibly.

"The benchmark of 0.2 metre sea level rise is directly endorsed by the Coastal Climate Change Advisory Committee Report and will provide certainty for development to continue in coastal settlements," Mr Guy said.

The report and the Minister's response are available from the Department of Planning and Community Development website at <http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/planning/panelsandcommittees/current/coastal-climate-change-advisory-committee>.