Building in flood affected areas in Fishermans Bend

The 'Good Design Guide for Buildings in Flood Affected Areas of Fishermans Bend, Arden and Macaulay' was developed by the City of Port Phillip, Melbourne Water and the City of Melbourne.

The Guide focuses on flood management solutions for buildings on private land, including areas that are open to public access. It also identifies circumstances where public realm interventions and partnerships with neighbouring properties can be beneficial.

Background to the project

The urban renewal areas of Fishermans Bend, Arden and Macaulay are low-lying areas subject to flooding. The Fishermans Bend Framework includes initiatives to reduce the severity of future flood events in the area. However, we know that we cannot eliminate flooding entirely and need to plan for Fishermans Bend to be resilient to floods.

The Guide was developed to address poor design outcomes arising from conventional flood management practices, such as blank walls, lack of building activation, and poor accessibility. The Guide supports the design of private buildings in flood affected areas through focusing on the design of the interface between the street level and the level above predicted future flood events. It comprises written and visual design guidance to simultaneously achieve safety as well as universal and equitable access. It also seeks to contribute to the public realm through quality active street frontages and good urban design.

How we are implementing the Guide

City of Port Phillip adopted the Guide in July 2021. Planners, engineers and designers can better collaborate to create good design outcomes for flood affected buildings. You can read the details in the minutes from the Council meeting.

The Good Design Guide for Buildings in Flood Affected Areas of Fishermans Bend, Arden and Macaulay (PDF 11 MB) is intended to be introduced as a background document to the Port Phillip Planning Scheme through a future planning scheme amendment.

Would you like to know more?

For more information about this project please contact the City Design team.

Via Online Services
Phone: 03 9209 6777
In person: visit St Kilda Town Hall during office hours Monday to Friday