Attachment E - Bushfire Response · 132008.1128.04

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In terms of the provisions of the guidance material, the ‘Natural
hazards, risk and resilience – Bushfire: State Planning Policy – State
interest guidance material’ is largely intended for local
government integration of bushfire risk and resilience into local
government planning schemes. However, Section 4 of that
document relates to the State Planning Policy assessment
benchmarks which, as noted, are addressed from page 22 of the
updated report.
The ‘Bushfire Resilient Communities – Technical reference guide’
document, which also constitutes State interest guidance material
for bushfire has been fulsomely addressed.
This has been achieved in two ways by the updated report:
   1. The report has been revised to adopt the structure and
      methodologies required by the Bushfire Resilient
      Communities document for the compilation of a bushfire
      hazard assessment and management plan; and
   2. The relevant bushfire resilience policies identified by QFES
      are addressed at Section 5.1.5 of the updated report.
A total of six of the ten policies identified by QFES are relevant to
the development, the balance relate to local government plan
making processes.
Those that are relevant include:
   •   Disaster management capacity and capabilities are
       maintained to mitigate the risks to people and property to
       an acceptable and tolerable level;
   •   Vulnerable uses are not located in bushfire prone areas
       unless there is an overwhelming community need for the
       development of a new or expanded service, there is no
       suitable alternative location and site planning can
       appropriately mitigate the risk;
   •   Lot and neighbourhood layout and design mitigates the
       risks to people and property to an acceptable and
       tolerable level;
   •   Revegetation and rehabilitation avoids an increase in the
       exposure or severity of bushfire hazard;
   •   The protective function of vegetation arrangements that
       can mitigate bushfire risk are maintained;
   •   Community infrastructure for essential services are not
       located in bushfire prone areas unless there is an
       overwhelming community need for the development of a
       new or expanded service, there is no suitable alternative
       location and further, the infrastructure can be
       demonstrated to function effectively during and
       immediately after a bushfire event.
In response to these policies, the following is provided:
   •   This report is accompanied by two detailed emergency
       evacuation plans for the RAC and retirement living
       facilities which seeks to further mitigate risks to people and
       property beyond the planning-related provisions set out by
       this report;

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   •   Whilst the nature of the approved land uses are
       considered ‘vulnerable uses’, the development has been
       historically approved and therefore deemed to be
       acceptable from a locational context which is further
       reflected by the Council’s Community Services zoning of
       the land;
   •   The layout of the facility has regard to the nature of
       adjoining hazard and adopts asset protection zones and
       includes the provisions of vehicle access to the rear of the
       facility for land and fuel management purposes;
   •   The nature of proposed landscaping across the site
       incorporates bushfire resilient approaches to design and
       species selection as per Section 8 of the Bushfire Resilient
       Communities Guideline.
We trust this information is sufficient for your needs however,
please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any
questions.


Yours sincerely




Laura Gannon
Principal
Meridian Urban Pty Ltd
[email protected]
0400 264 041