08/1128 - Information Response to Biodiversity Items & Ecological Impact Items - Place Designs [As Published] · 132008.1128

BCROS RFI Response toa Council 20081126 Page 15 of 28

Item 18.

Please provide an assessment of the impacts of the proposed development on the ecological
values (including edge effects) of the adjacent Noosa National Park and riparian habitat. This
report is to be authored by a suitably qualified and experienced Ecologist or equivalent persons.

Ecological Values

The ecological values of the site and the surrounding Noosa National Park are described in the Ecological
Assessment Report (2007). These ecological values include:
« Areas of disturbed open dry heath on the elevated sections of the site;
¢ Confirmed habitat for Gompholobium and Schoenus;
e Surrounded by Areas of good quality remnant Open heath to the south and closed wet heath in
the Noosa National Park to the West; located on the fringe of three bioregional corridor from

Potential Development Impacts

Edge effects and the size of the proposed conservation buffer were addressed in the Ecological Assessment
Report 2007. These comments remain valid for the purpose of this information response which state on
page 23 that:

3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS MANAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE

The proposed development is to be located within the development area as illustrated in Figure 1,
and includes four clustered residential aged care apartment buildings (each two storeys) totaling 54
dwellings; a recreation centre; a residential aged care (RAC) facility with 96 beds (two) and 55
independent living unit apartment buildings in seven buildings (each two storeys).

3.1 impacts

3.1.1 Impacts on Vegetation

The proposed development of the Subject Site will be occurring within the northern area of the site
in accordance with Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s (formerly Noosa Council’s) zoning of the site
and OUM mapping. Vegetation occurring within the development footprint is well represented
throughout other areas of the Subject Site with the exception of the small waterway located within
Lot 7, RP890947; however the proposed development will not utilize this lot and therefore the
existing riparian vegetation will be retained.

Retaining a buffer to the site’s waterway will ensure that the fauna habitat values of the waterway
are retained under the proposed development. The additional benefits of observing a waterway
setback will be to protect the riparian vegetation that currently provides bank stability and reduces
sedimentation and pollution of Burgess Creek downstream of the junction with the site’s
waterway.

3.1.2 Impacts on Fauna

Although heavily degraded and infested with weed species, the small waterway continues to
provide suitable habitat for a range of fauna species, including two bird species listed at Rare under
Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Lewin’s Rail and Glossy Black Cockatoo).

“Acid frogs” that are likely to occur in the adjacent Noosa National Park may also infrequently
occupy this waterway. The primary impact of the proposed development will therefore be the
potential impacts on, or removal of, fauna habitat within the waterway in the northern property of
the site.