Dunbogan Caravan Park to Test Floating Accommodation as a Flood Relief Solution for Riparian Communities | Goulburn Post

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A state-of-the-art floating accommodation prototype will be tested on the NSW north coast as a flood-proof solution for affordable housing after the region was hit by the worst flooding in recent memory plus early this year. Hundreds of residents have been stranded, displaced or homeless in the area, homes have been flooded and more than $ 70 million in damage was caused to Port Macquarie-Hastings council infrastructure during the March floods of this year. . Dunbogan Caravan Park owner Cicely Sylow is working in partnership with Marine Engineers Arup and Queensland Engineer James Davidson to design and build a prototype floating house to provide a flood-proof future for the people living in neighboring communities. Mr Davidson, director of JDA Co, said the concept of floating homes has already been explored around the world, including in the Netherlands, the southern United States and Queensland. “We are designing a system with the intention that when the housing is raised everything will be fine inside because movement is limited laterally and it will rise vertically with flooding,” he said. “For Dunbogan, the intention is to work on a different floating accommodation model than a floating house project we did in Queensland.” The shape of the Camden Haven floodplain means the speed of the water is not massive compared to some projects we have worked on. “We have seen 4.5 meters of water moving at 12 meters per second (in Queensland) but the slower flooding in Dunbogan is very helpful when it comes to finding a suitable system.” We have a site at Dunbogan Caravan Park. , it looks very promising and our engineers are helping us make sure that what we come up with can withstand the forces of a flood. ”at Dunbogan Caravan Park was donated by Mrs. Sylow, who approached Mr. Davidson to test the concept locally. Diamond Waters is improving access to housing, equipment blocks, bench heights, and facilities to assist people with reduced mobility Floating homes would be more beneficial for elderly residents of Camden Haven rather than for traditional dwellings built on raised supports, said Ms Sylow. “Flooding has demonstrated that many trailer parks act as affordable housing in our local government area, but they are also prone to flooding and more. exposed to climatic risks like flooding, “she said.” We provide the land, the knowledge of the trailer park and the compliance side. We have an international engineering company, expert architects and we have AusIndustry working with us to get this project going. “I like this project because it provides a different mechanism to protect homes rather than elevate. It offers a solution for the elderly or people with limited mobility to continue living in the location of their choice. “We get the right designs, engineering and construction of a prototype. Once that is done, then we have a solution.” We got the development permission, we did the heights and the calculations that need to be facts.. We expect to see a ready prototype within 18 months. I personally hope 12 months. “

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A state-of-the-art floating accommodation prototype will be tested on the NSW north coast as a flood-proof solution for affordable housing after the region was hit by the worst flooding in recent memory plus early this year.

Dunbogan Caravan Park owner Cicely Sylow is working in partnership with Marine Engineers Arup and Queensland Engineer James Davidson to design and build a prototype floating house to provide a flood-proof future for the people living in neighboring communities.

FLOOD RELIEF: A similar project designed in Queensland. Photo: James Davidson Architect.

Mr Davidson, director of JDA Co, said the concept of floating homes has already been explored around the world, including in the Netherlands, the southern United States and Queensland.

“We are designing a system with the intention that when the housing is raised everything will be fine inside because movement is limited laterally and it will rise vertically with flooding,” he said.

“For Dunbogan, the intention is to work on a model of floating accommodation that is different from a floating house project we did in Queensland.

“The shape of the Camden Haven floodplain means the water velocity is not massive compared to some projects we have been working on.

“We have seen 4.5 meters of water moving at 12 meters per second (in Queensland), but the slower flooding in Dunbogan is very helpful when it comes to trying to find a suitable system.

“We have a site at Dunbogan Caravan Park, it looks very promising and our engineers are helping us make sure that what we are offering can withstand the forces of a flood.”

Mr Davidson said he originally came up with the idea by transporting building materials to island homes on floating pontoons.

Camden Haven River. Photo: Lee Hartshorne.

The test site at Dunbogan Caravan Park was proposed by Ms. Sylow, who approached Mr. Davidson to test the concept locally.

She also owns Diamond Waters Caravan Park, where she also received a development agreement to increase the number of affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities in the area.

Diamond Waters is improving access to housing, convenience blocks, bench heights, and facilities to assist people with reduced mobility

Floating houses would be more beneficial to the elderly residents of Camden Haven than traditional dwellings built on raised supports, said Ms Sylow.

“The floods have shown that many trailer parks act as affordable housing in our local government area, but they are also prone to flooding and more exposed to climate risks like flooding,” she said.

“We provide the terrain, the knowledge of the trailer park and the compliance side. We have an international engineering company, expert architects and AusIndustry is working with us to get this started.

DIAMOND WATERS: Cicely Sylow, Noel Douglas, June Douglas, Stephen Ritchie with Georgie Ritchie, Sam Ritchie and Will Ritchie. Photo: Supplied / Cicely Sylow.

“I like this project because it provides a different mechanism for protecting the houses rather than raising them. It offers a solution for elderly residents or people with reduced mobility to continue living in the location of their choice.

“We’re getting the right designs, engineering and building a prototype. Once done, we have a solution.

“We got the development approval, we did the heights and the necessary calculations. We expect a prototype to be ready within 18 months. Personally, I hope 12 months.”