Appendix D - Bushfire Assessment · RAL26/0026

2.0     BUSHFIRE HAZARD ASSESSMENT
2.1     STATE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY
2.1.1   General
The State Planning Policy requires a site-specific bushfire hazard assessment to be undertaken when a
development site is located within a mapped Bushfire Hazard Area. Chapter 2, Part 1, Section 8, Item 4(a)
of the Planning Act 2016 states that where there is an inconsistency between a State Planning Policy and
a local government planning instrument, a State Planning policy applies instead of a local planning
instrument. The SPP mapping is therefore used as the trigger for assessment against Council’s Bushfire
Overlay. Furthermore, the site-specific hazard mapping required by the Planning Scheme is to be prepared
consistent with the methodology adopted to prepare the SPP mapping.

The State government have described the methodology used to prepare the SPP mapping in the BRC. BRC
states that although state-wide bushfire prone area mapping is regularly updated, land use and vegetation
cover (key contributors to bushfire hazard) are subject to change, particularly regarding the extent of
hazardous vegetation. Accordingly, the first step of a bushfire hazard assessment is to undertake a
reliability assessment to determine whether the site’s observed characteristics are consistent with the
inputs used to create the mapping, and the mapping outputs. A reliability assessment is therefore
undertaken for the site and all land within 150 metres of the proposed development.

The methodology underpinning the bushfire hazard assessment process consists of three stages:
   1. An assessment to verify the reliability of existing Bushfire Prone Area (BPA) mapping over the site.
   2. A hazard assessment involving field investigations to ground-truth the accuracy of the BPA
      mapping for the site. The hazard assessment area must include the development area and all land
      within 150 metres of the development footprint.
   3. Using the results of the site-specific assessment, the setback width needed to achieve the
      prescribed radiant heat flux levels is calculated.

Where the State Bushfire Prone Area mapping is observed to incorrectly depict the bushfire hazard acting
on a particular site (e.g., where there has been changes in land use or vegetation cover within the
assessment area), the process enables an applicant to create a local-scale bushfire prone area map based
on the results of the site investigation and to apply modified input variables that reflect changes that have
occurred over time. The preparation of a Local Hazard Area Map has been undertaken for the site in
accordance with the methodology described in the above referenced documents. The input parameters
used to determine the bushfire hazard acting on the site are detailed in the sections below.

2.1.2   Vegetation Hazard Classes
The relative hazard of various vegetation types is a result of the amount of fuel available to a bushfire.
The rate at which fuel loads accumulate and dry out varies for different types of vegetation. Fuel is
generally prevented from drying out in dense vegetation communities (such as wet sclerophyll vegetation)
however, can be susceptible to very destructive bushfires when exposed to extreme conditions.
Alternatively, some vegetation types more commonly expose fuels to drying and therefore are frequently


AUGUST 2026                  BUSHFIRE HAZARD ASSESSMENT & MANAGEMENT PLAN                            Page: 11
                                     380 MCKINNON DRIVE, COOROIBAH