Attachment C - Bushfire Management Plan · 132008.1128.04

                                                                 Retirement Living & Aged Care Facility
                                                                        Grasstree Court, Sunrise Beach

development control (as opposed to the formulation of planning policy and instruments by local
government) 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.

It is noted the development which is the subject of this report has been historically approved and
the minor change process relates to the planning provisions and instruments in place at the time
the original approval was given. Notwithstanding this, the following is provided in response to the
above policies established by the Bushfire Resilient Communities non-statutory guideline:

     •    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;

     •    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 Community Services zoning of the land;
          and

     •    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.

5.2         AS 3959 – Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas
The AS3959 – Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas specifies requirements and measures
for residential buildings constructed in bushfire prone areas. Bushfire attack levels (BALs), which form
the foundation upon which AS3959-2018 is applied, distinguish the level of attack buildings (and
occupants) may experience based on a range of factors which are analysed at Section 6 below.

A BAL is defined as ‘a means of measuring the severity of a buildings potential exposure to ember
attack, radiant heat and direct flame contact, using increments of radiant heat expressed in
kilowatts per metre squared, and the basis for establishing the requirements for construction to
improve protection of building elements from attack by bushfire’ (Standards Australia, 2018).

The level of attack buildings may experience is based on a range of factors including vegetation
typologies (fuel load), effective slope and separation distance, each of which has a significant
bearing on the likely behaviour and intensity of a bushfire and how these factors can combine to
impact upon nearby buildings.

The Australian Standard adopts six distinct BAL categories including a ‘low’ category for areas where
bushfire risk is limited, these categories are outlined at Figure 9. The categories are based upon the


Status: Final                                                                                      July 2020
Project No.: 18-030                                                                                 Page 24