Bushfire Risk Assessment 2025 Final - Noosa Springs 2022026

Bushfire Risk Assessment v3                                                       NCES REF: J001433
Select Areas of Noosa Springs Residential Estate, Noosa Heads




5.2.1    Existing Asset Protection Zones
None of the buildings in the precincts investigated are mapped in a bushfire prone area under the
Noosa Plan or the SPP bushfire overlay. Provision of specific setbacks / APZ’s is therefore not
mandated under the Noosa Plan, the QLD SPP 2019 or AS3959-2018. Nonetheless all vegetation
can burn under extreme conditions and adopting the precautionary principle, it is recommended
the existing cleared separation provided between buildings and adjacent bushland is maintained.
This will ensure flammable woody encroachment does not occur which may elevate the risk acting
on the dwellings.

5.2.2 Potential Future Asset Protection Zone Requirements
The site or part thereof may be mapped in a Designated Bushfire Prone Area via future mapping
updates to the SPP Bushfire Hazard Overlay or the Noosa Council Bushfire Hazard Overlay. This
would potentially trigger development and building assessment against the Noosa Plan, the QLD
SPP 2019 and or AS3959-2018 bushfire criteria. To better understand the implications of this
scenario, bushfire modelling has been completed to identify the extent of separation required to
achieve <29 kW/m² radiant heat flux exposure at any point on the buildings. <29 kW/m² radiant
heat flux exposure represents the acceptable exposure risk benchmark set under the SPP and
represents a mid-level BAL under AS3959 to which most builders are content to carry out building
work. To be clear, the results of the modelling can help inform potential future development / APZ
setback requirements and or AS3959 construction requirements. The results should not be
interpreted as identification of any current setback / APZ requirements or recommendations.

5.2.2.1 State Planning Policy – State interest guidance material: Natural hazards, risks
         and resilience – Bushfire December 2019
The Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning’s State
Planning Policy – State interest guidance material – Natural hazards, risk and resilience –
Bushfire (December 2019) contains the development assessment benchmarks for natural
hazards, risk and resilience - bushfire. The SPP assessment benchmarks prevail over those
prescribed in the NC Bushfire Hazard Overlay Code where they involve the same design
elements. Assessment Benchmark 4 provides a quantitative benchmark for the sizing of Asset
Protection Zones. Compliance with Assessment Benchmark 4 is generally required for
assessable development in Designated Bushfire Prone Area and is deemed to generate an
Acceptable to Tolerable level of risk.
Assessment Benchmark 4 states:
Where reconfiguring a lot creating lots of 2000 square metres or less (i.e. Noosa Springs urban
lots)
To ensure emergency access and operational space for firefighters, the subdivision layout results
in lots that are sited so that they are separated from the closest edge to the adjacent medium,
high or very high potential bushfire intensity area by a distance that achieves a radiant heat flux
level of 29 kilowatt per square metre or less at:
1. The building envelope, if identified at RaL stage, or
2. Where a building envelope is not identified, at all the lot boundaries.
5.2.2.2 Radiant Heat Flux Setbacks
Determination of the building setbacks required to satisfy Assessment Benchmark 4 can be
identified from the quantitative modelling output presented in Section 5.2 herein. The Flamesol
output results detailed in Plates 17-21 identify the setback requirements to achieve the <29 kW/m²
radiant heat flux exposure. These setback requirements have been summarised in Table 3.




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