Bushfire Hazard Assessment

Bushfire Hazard Assessment
14 Serenity Close, Noosa Heads




5 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Management of bushfire hazard in Queensland is considered an integral component of
land use planning and development decisions given the potential significant impact on
people, social wellbeing, property, the economy, the environment and infrastructure.

There are two (2) bushfire hazard planning instruments considered as part of this BHA
that regulate development to avoid and mitigate potential impacts associated with
bushfire hazard, namely:

      ● State Planning Policy (SPP) under the Planning Act 2016 (Qld); and,
      ● Noosa Plan (2020).




5.1     STATE PLANNING POLICY


The SPP identifies the Queensland Government’s policies about matters of state interest in
land use planning and development (Department of Infrastructure Local Government and
Planning 2017). The SPP is a broad and comprehensive statutory planning instrument
which sits above regional plans, standard planning scheme provisions and local
government planning schemes within the hierarchy of planning instruments outlined in the
Planning Act 2016 (Qld).

The SPP identifies the State interest in relation to bushfire hazard planning and
management outcomes for development in bushfire prone areas. It sets out, inter alia,
development assessment requirements for certain applications where a local planning
scheme has not yet appropriately integrated the SPP and includes a State-wide map of
bushfire prone areas. The SPP map of bushfire prone areas (SPP map) is based on
modelled potential fireline intensity according to the method described by Leonard et al.
(2014) The SPP identifies land that could support a significant bushfire or be subject to
significant bushfire attack. It includes areas of hazardous vegetation with a Very High,
High or Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity, together with land within 100m of bushfire
prone areas as a potential impact buffer. The potential impact buffer identifies land that
may be subject to significant flame attack, radiant heat or ember attack. Research
indicates that not only does a very high intensity bushfire have the potential to cause
injury from radiant heat exposure up to 100m away, but over 80% of housing loss and
human life loss occurs within 100m of bushland (Leonard et al. 2014). Figure 5 (Map 2)
indicates the SPP map for the site (Department of Infrastructure Local Government and
Planning 2020).

The SPP is supported by the State Planning Policy – state interest guidance material.
Natural hazards, risk and resilience - Bushfire (SPP Guidance Material) (Department of
State Development Manufacturing Infrastructure and Planning 2019) and a technical
manual: Bushfire Resilient Communities (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services 2019)

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