Appendix B - Ecological Assessment Report

5.0     DEVELOPMENT IMPACTS
5.1     GENERAL
The Noosa Plan 2020 Flood Hazard Overlay Map depicts the majority of the northern site extent (including
the existing cleared and regrowth vegetation areas) within an area prone to flooding and inundation. As
the dwelling cannot be constructed within the flood prone area, it has by necessity been located within
the vegetated area in the south-eastern site extent. A Bushfire Hazard Assessment has been prepared by
Equilibrium Ecology and submitted concurrently with this development application. The outcome of the
Bushfire Hazard Assessment Report is that the dwelling would require a minimum 25.3m wide cleared
setback to reduce the risk of direct flame and radiant heat impact to the dwelling. The Bushfire Hazard
Assessment Report recommends a 26m cleared Asset Protection Zone is provided to the dwelling to
mitigate against bushfire impacts. This equates to a total clearing impact of approximately 2,900m2 of
vegetation to locate the proposed dwelling and associated Asset Protection Zone (bushfire setback). The
Planning Regulation 2017 defines several vegetation clearing exemptions including vegetation clearing on
freehold land for Essential Management. Schedule 24 of the Regulation defines Essential Management as
clearing native vegetation -
            (a) for establishing or maintaining a necessary firebreak to protect infrastructure, other than
                a fence, road or vehicular track, if the maximum width of the firebreak is equal to 1.5 times
                the height of the tallest vegetation next to the infrastructure, or 20m, whichever is the
                wider
            (b) for establishing a necessary fire management line, if the maximum width of the clearing
                for the fire management line is 10m; or
            (c) necessary to remove or reduce the imminent risk that the vegetation poses of serious
                personal injury or damage to infrastructure; or

Furthermore, Schedule 6, Part 3, Section 20A of the Regulation prescribes development which a local
categorising instrument (Planning Scheme) is prohibited from stating is assessable development. This
includes operational work that is clearing native vegetation if -
           (a) the clearing is necessary for -
             (i) establishing or maintaining a necessary firebreak to protect infrastructure, other than a
                 fence, road or vehicular track, and the maximum width of the firebreak is equal to 1.5
                 times the height of the tallest vegetation next to the infrastructure, or 20m, whichever is
                 the wider; or
            (ii) establishing a necessary fire management line, and the maximum width of the clearing
                 for the fire management line is 10m; and

           (b) the clearing is on freehold land
Approximately 1,070m2 of the vegetation proposed to be cleared is located within 10m of the allotment
boundary and therefore can be cleared under the essential management exemption detailed above.
Therefore, the total extent of assessable clearing associated with the development is 1,830m2. Figure 1
depicts the extent of proposed clearing. The sections below quantify the proposed development impact
with reference to the relevant ecological matters and legislative constraints identified within the desktop
assessment.


October 2021                           ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORT                                  Page: 13
                                        797 Ringtail Creek Road, Pomona