The Queensland Government has announced a downgrade in the flood risk for more than 500 properties in the southwestern town of Roma following the completion of an $8.3 million mitigation project.

Approval for a temporary local planning instrument has been granted, giving immediate effect to the new flood map, while Maranoa Regional Council works to include the newly built flood defences in its planning scheme.

“Many of us remember the devastating Roma floods of 2012 and the damage that flooding caused, not only to properties but to the social and economic fabric of the community,” Minister for Planning Cameron Dick said.

“In the past, these 500-plus properties would have been inundated by a similar flooding event. The recently completed flood mitigation works have reduced flood risk for these residents, which is now reflected in the new mapping.”

He says the new flood map provides “immediate certainty to Roma residents previously living in flood-risk properties”.

A levee built in Roma two years after the catastrophic 2012 flood saw Suncorp cut property premiums in the town by an average of 45%.

Work officially started in March on the second stage of the mitigation scheme, which involved the construction of a diversion drain and extension of the existing town levee built in the first stage of the project.

“New flood modelling shows the extent of land that could be affected by a future flood is significantly less,” Mayor Tyson Golder said.

“Among other things, the updated mapping will provide Roma landowners with more information in relation to future development on their properties.”

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) says it is aware of the completion of the mitigation works and is working on an industry response.

In an ICA list of the top 20 federal electorates most prone to floods, Maranoa ranks third, with 31,452 “at risk” land parcels.