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

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 six clustered residential aged care apartment buildings (each three storeys) totalling 64 beds; a
recreation centre; a residential aged care (RAC) facility with 96 beds (two or three storeys) and 60
residential assisted living apartments in seven buildings (each two storeys). The client is also
investigating a development option which involves acquiring the Church Site for inclusion into the
development area. This development option involves a new church facility at the north-eastern corner
of the development area and changed configuration of the apartment buildings.

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 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 utilise 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.

“Edge effects” that may occur as a result of the proposed development to the adjacent Noosa National
Park may be mitigated by retaining a “buffer zone” of native vegetation between the development and
the national park. The buffer zone will also provide some small corridor values for north/south fauna
movement between areas of more extensive habitat, and may also provide forage, shelter and breeding
habitat for fauna occurring in the adjacent national park areas.

It is unlikely that removal of vegetation from the proposed development footprint will result in any
significant impacts on fauna species that occur throughout similar habitat within the site and in the
wider locality. Much of this vegetation type will remain in the southern area of the site following
development, and this area will continue to function as a “stepping stone” of habitat for mobile species
such as birds and bats.

 

Grasstree Court, Sunrise Beach Ecological Assessment Report (BCRO2) PLACE Environmental

Page 23