Ecological Assessment Letter Report · MCU26/0104

 including a focus on management (e.g. habitat protection, habitat restoration and threat mitigation) and monitoring. This
 includes a prohibition on clearing in koala habitat areas that are in koala priority areas under the Planning Regulation
 2017 (subject to some exemptions).

 Please note that koala priority areas only exist in koala district A which is the South East Queensland "Shaping SEQ"
 Regional Plan area. These areas include the local government areas of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Lockyer Valley,
 Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba (urban extent).

 Section 7.2 identifies if your property is in a koala priority area.

 6.1.4 Identified koala broad-hectare areas
 There are seven identified koala broad-hectare areas in SEQ. These are areas of koala habitat that are located in areas
 committed to meet development targets in the SEQ Regional Plan to accommodate SEQ's growing population including
 bring-forward Greenfield sites under the Queensland Housing Affordability Strategy and declared master planned areas
 under the repealed Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and the repealed Integrated Planning Act 1997.

 Specific assessment benchmarks apply to development applications for development proposed in identified koala broad-
 hectare areas to ensure koala conservation measures are incorporated into the proposed development.

 Section 7.2 identifies if your property is in an identified koala broad-hectare area.

 6.2 Koala habitat planning controls
 On 7 February 2020, the Queensland Government introduced new planning controls to the Planning Regulation 2017 to
 strengthen the protection of koala habitat in South East Queensland (i.e. koala district A).

 More information on these planning controls can be found here:
 https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/living-with/koalas/mapping/legislation-policy.

 As a high-level summary, the koala habitat planning controls make:

      • development that involves interfering with koala habitat (defined below) in an area that is both a koala priority
        area and a koala habitat area, prohibited development (i.e. development for which a development application
        cannot be made);
      • development that involves interfering with koala habitat (defined below) in an area that is a koala habitat area but
        is not a koala priority area, assessable development (i.e. development for which development approval is
        required); and
      • development that is for extractive industries where the development involves interfering with koala habitat
        (defined below) in an area that is both a koala habitat area and a key resource area, assessable development
        (i.e. development for which development approval is required).

 Interfering with koala habitat means:

     1. Removing, cutting down, ringbarking, pushing over, poisoning or destroying in anyway, including by burning,
        flooding or draining native vegetation in a koala habitat area; but
     2. Does not include destroying standing vegetation stock or lopping a tree.

 However, these planning controls do not apply if the development is exempted development as defined in Schedule 24
 of the Planning Regulation 2017. More information on exempted development can be found here:
 https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/living-with/koalas/mapping/legislation-policy.

 There are also assessment benchmarks that apply to development applications for:

 - building works, operational works, material change of use or reconfiguration of a lot where:

      • the local government planning scheme makes the development assessable;
      • the premises includes an area that is both a koala priority area and a koala habitat area; and
      • the development does not involve interfering with koala habitat (defined above); and

 - development in identified koala broad-hectare areas.




23 | Vegetation management property report