2016-09-06 - Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                              6 SEPTEMBER 2016




            Figure 14 – State Bushfire Hazard Mapping Extract (SARA DA Mapping)
The main landscape features that contribute to the bushfire hazard ratings are vegetated lands
located to the east and south of the site. East of the site’s ridgeline is the Girraween Nature
Reserve which connects to Noosa National Park, bounded in the east by Ben Lexcen Drive.
South of the site is a large tract of Noosa National Park. These tracts of land, managed for
biodiversity values, influence the bushfire hazard rating.
The applicant provided a Bushfire Management Plan documenting the procedures and methods
to reduce the risk of bushfire attack on the development. Council engaged a bushfire consultant,
Friend & Associates, to review the bushfire management plan and their assessment has been
included in the development assessment.
The Bushfire Management Plan requires buildings to be setback 1.5 times the dominant height of
the hazardous vegetation. This requirement is met by siting the buildings 19.5 m from the
vegetation to the south and 15 metres from the vegetation to the east.
A 2 metre wide concrete pathway is required by the master plan for Noosa Springs to be
constructed in the road reserve that borders the southern boundary of the site. The construction
of this pathway in the road reserve will result in vegetation clearing. Previous advice from natural
land managers within Council has recommended buffers be provided to hazardous vegetation
situated on development lot boundaries. The pathway is recommended to be located along the
southern boundary of the site (see Figure 15 below) to achieve appropriate setbacks to
hazardous vegetation, being both flammable and from limb/tree fall. This also provides a benefit
of reducing the maintenance burden on Council resources, results in less clearing of remnant
vegetation and further reduces future conflicts between overgrowing vegetation and the
development.




                                                                                   Page 30 of 118