Planning Report - 11 Senegal Rise, Doonan

            koala habitat areas being cleared of native vegetation since 7 February 2020, disregarding
            an area cleared of native vegetation if any of paragraphs (l) to (p) applies to the clearing
        •   Clause (n) – development that is or involves operational work that is the clearing of native
            vegetation in a koala habitat area if the clearing (vii) is necessary for essential management
            and is qualifying clearing.

        With regard to the exempt development described in Clause (k), no clearing of mapped core
        koala habitat has occurred on the land since 7 February 2020, and the minor clearing work
        required within the core koala habitat to accommodate the dwelling house amounts to 300m2.
        Accordingly, any proposed residence on the subject land is able to be sited within the 500m2
        clearing permitted under Item (k).

        Regarding Clause (n)(vii), Schedule 24 of the Planning Regulation 2017 defines essential
        management to include 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.

         The bushfire assessment completed for the site confirms that clearing to form an asset protection
         zone of 28m width is required to achieve a BAL 29 construction standard under AS3959. Advice
         received from SARA confirms that if the vegetation clearing is restricted to that which is required
         to facilitate the BAL 29 construction standard, as determined by the specialist bushfire report,
         the project will not trigger assessment, as it will comprise exempt clearing for fire management.

         As the proposed clearing is consistent with the firebreak nominated by the bushfire report and
         does not exceed a maximum width of 20m or 1.5 times the height of the tallest tree adjacent to
         the proposed residence, whichever is greater, the clearing works conform to the definition of
         exempt development. Accordingly, the bushfire hazard assessment which requires
         approximately 1,800m2 of native vegetation containing core koala habitat to be cleared to
         provide a firebreak/ asset protection zone around the proposed dwelling will occur under the
         exemption for essential management.

        As the proposed works are anticipated to be able to proceed in accordance with various
        exemptions available, referral to SARA is not deemed to be required for the project. Additional
        detail with regards to these matters have been provided in covering letter and ecological
        assessment report attached to the planning application.




30 September 2021                                 Chris Bentley                                      Page: 15
Ref: 20-052               Planning Report – Proposed Dwelling at 11 Senegal Rise, Doonan