Town Planning Assessment Report · MCU26/0099

Figure 4 – Koala Habitat Values Mapping (DAMS Mapping)


The South-East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy mapping identifies that the subject site is located
within a Koala Priority Area and contains mapped Core Koala Habitat. Accordingly, Schedule 10, Part 10,
Division 2, section 16A of the Planning Regulation 2017 is relevant. Section 16A provides that development
interfering with koala habitat within an area that is both a Koala Priority Area and Koala Habitat Area is
prohibited development, except to the extent that the development constitutes “exempted development”.

The proposed development has been carefully sited having regard to the significant physical constraints
affecting the property. The majority of the approximately 29.64ha site is low-lying and affected by flood
inundation, leaving only a relatively limited elevated area capable of accommodating a dwelling outside the
mapped flood extent. That elevated area is also mapped as Core Koala Habitat and contains biodiversity
values under the Noosa Plan 2020. An area of approximately 500m² within this elevated part of the site has
historically been cleared and disturbed, and the proposed dwelling has been positioned generally within and
adjoining that disturbed area to minimise the extent of additional vegetation clearing required.

The proposed site plan distinguishes between the clearing required directly for the dwelling footprint and
clearing required for bushfire management. In particular, the plan identifies:

    •   approximately 345m² of clearing associated with the dwelling house footprint;
    •   approximately 1,761m² of clearing associated with the establishment and maintenance of the 16m
        wide bushfire Asset Protection Zone/firebreak around the dwelling; and
    •   a 10m wide fire management line along the eastern boundary.

Dwelling footprint – paragraph (k)

Paragraph (k) of the Schedule 24 definition of “exempted development” applies to development that results
in a total of 500m² or less of Koala Habitat Area being cleared of native vegetation since 7 February 2020,
disregarding clearing to which paragraphs (l)–(p) apply. The Queensland Government describes this as a
once-off 500m² allowance per premises and confirms that clearing undertaken under paragraphs (l)–(p),
including essential management under paragraph (n), does not consume that allowance.

The clearing required directly for the dwelling footprint is approximately 345m² and is therefore below the
500m² threshold. The clearing associated with the bushfire firebreak and fire management line is separately
relied upon under paragraph (n) and is therefore disregarded when determining the clearing area for the
purposes of paragraph (k). On this basis, the dwelling footprint component is considered capable of
constituting exempted development under paragraph (k).

Asset Protection Zone – essential management under paragraph (n)(vii)

Schedule 24 also provides that operational work involving the clearing of native vegetation within a Koala
Habitat Area is exempted development where the clearing is necessary for essential management and
constitutes qualifying clearing.

For freehold land, essential management includes establishing or maintaining a necessary firebreak to
protect a building or other structure, provided the width of the firebreak does not exceed 20m or 1.5 times
the height of the tallest vegetation adjacent to the infrastructure, whichever is greater. Importantly, these

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