Advice Agency Response DERM - Advice Agency Response 247-251 Gympie Terrace Noosaville · MCU10/2022

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                                                                                                          Notice
                                                                             Advice Agency Response

     Where a wetland management area is mapped as a 'significant coastal wetland' under a Regional
     Coastal Management Plan it should be assessed against the policy for areas of state significance
     (natural resources). An Implementation Guideline should be consulted:
     http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/services resources/item details.php?item id=202304&topic id=54.

     For areas where a regional coastal management plan does not exist, where the wetland management
     area is also defined as a 'significant coastal wetland' under the State Coastal Management Plan -
     Queensland's Coastal Policy 2001 (SCMP), any approval is consistent with SCMP policy 2.8.1, Areas of
     state significance (natural resources).

     Maintain wetland water quality. The water quality of any waters in and linked to the wetland is
     maintained and managed to protect the environmental values of the wetland, and to ensure that the
     water quality objectives listed under Schedule 1 of the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 are
     achieved.
•    Maintain wetland water regime. The existing water regime (including surface and groundwater) within
     and linked to the wetland is maintained and managed to protect existing natural hydrological processes
     within the wetland ecosystem. This includes safeguarding natural fluctuations in size and location of the
     wetland, and retaining and allowing for regeneration of native vegetation.

To ensure that the proposed development is able to meet the above outcomes, the Assessment Manager is
encouraged to consider the requirement for a buffer area between any proposed works and the wetland. A
wetland buffer has two components:

     •   a support area adjacent to the wetland that maintains and supports the environmental values of the
         wetland; and

     •    a separation area around the support area that protects the wetland from external threats such as
          sediment and nutrient discharge from surrounding landuse.

Buffer distances should be maximised in order to maintain existing biodiversity values, habitat connectivity
and to minimise edge effects. Unless otherwise determined by a suitably qualified professional, the following
buffer widths are accepted by DERM as precautionary buffer widths likley to absorb impacts from external
uses.

     •    within urban areas, a minimum 50m buffer to wetland
     •    outside of urban areas a minimum 200m buffer to wetland
     •    for 'significant coastal wetlands', a buffer width of 200m to wetland
Where required, revegetation of the buffer is recommended using native species representative of the pre-
clearing regional ecosystem, with preference given to endemic species. Plants should be of local
provenance where possible. A rehabilitation/ revegetation management plan including weed management
strategies may assist in determining the rehabilitiation requirements for the development. Conditioning of any
approval with building or development envelope(s) may also be a useful way to give formal effect to any
required buffer area.

The Assessment Manager should consider requiring applicants to provide a Stormwater Management Plan
to demonstrate how stormwater, sediment and other run-off from the site (associated with the construction
and operational phases of development) will be effectively managed to prevent adverse impacts on wetland
values. Potential impacts are to be addressed through water sensitive urban design including compliance
with South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 Implementation Guideline No. 7: Water sensitive
urban design - design objectives for urban stormwater management. For areas outside of the South-east



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