MCU14/0106 & OPW15/0001 Appendix F - Ecological and Bushfire Management Response

                                                                            Information Request Response Report - Ecology
                                                                                                   Noosa Civic Expansion




2               Response
2.1             Bushfire
2.1.1           Request Item 56
56. An amended Bushfire Assessment addressing the following:
> An assessment of the Potential Bushfire Intensity likely to affect the proposed development using the
  methodology contained in the State Planning Policy, released in December 2013. The assessment of the
  Potential Bushfire Intensity should take into account the site connectivity to larger areas of hazardous
  vegetation such as Noosa National Park, vegetation along Eenie Creek, Vegetation within the Noosa Airport
  and open space dedicated to Council as part of the Noosa Business Centre.
> Depending on the levels of Potential Bushfire Intensity determined for the site and the surrounding area, a
  set of bushfire hazard mitigation and management actions be proposed which address the determined
  potential bushfire intensity levels. This may include a fire management plan or a bushfire mitigation plan.
> Provide further information with regard to the safe movement of vehicles along existing and proposed
  roadways given their location to areas of retained hazardous vegetation and where smoke and flame
  hazards might impact of drivers.
> The bushfire mitigation plan may update or replace the bushfire management plan (The Consultancy
  Bureau, 2004) which should include all areas within the Noosa Business Centre site that may not be
  affected by the proposed development in terms of vegetation clearing.
> Provide additional information on the proposed management of fuels within Covenant area J as well as
  area identified in the Shire Business Centre (Map SBC) as E2, E6, E7 and Covenant area L.

2.1.2           Response to Item 56
A response to all issues raised by Noosa Council and relating to bushfire is provided within the table overleaf.
An amended Bushfire Assessment (Version 2) has been prepared and is provided as the Noosa Civic
Expansion Bushfire Assessment Report (23/04/15). The requested information is provided as follows:
1.      addressed in Section 3.2 of the Bushfire Assessment Report Version 2;
2.      addressed in Section 4 and Section 6 of the Bushfire Assessment Report Version 2;
3.      addressed in Section 4.5 of the Bushfire Assessment Report Version 2;
4.      an updated Bushfire Management Plan is provided as Appendix D to the Bushfire Assessment Report
        Version 2; and
5.      addressed in Section 5 of the Bushfire Assessment Report Version 2 and the Bushfire Management
        Plan provided as Appendix D.

                 Response to Bushfire Issues
 Issue - Bushfire                           Response
 The Bushfire Assessment report applies     The bushfire hazard assessment was prepared in general accordance with
 a medium bushfire hazard level, which is   the requirements of the Noosa Plan Natural Hazards Overlay Code, which
 considered to underestimate the likely     requires a site specific bushfire hazard assessment to be prepared in
 bushfire risk. A vegetation hazard score   accordance with Appendix 3 of the SPP Guidelines: Mitigating the Adverse
 of 10 ought to be used, given the state    Impacts of Flood, Bushfire and Landslide.
 of the vegetation, the fuel loads
 available, and the sites existing and
 continuing proximity to larger areas of    The medium hazard level assigned to the vegetation is based on an
 highly flammable and hazardous             accepted methodology and is consistent with the hazard level assigned in
 vegetation to the east and south.          Bushfire & Acid Sulfate Soils Overlay (Map OM8.4) of the Noosa Plan.

                                            The vegetation hazard score of 8 that was applied in the assessment is
                                            considered appropriate as that score is based on the type of vegetation
                                            present and available fuel loads. When applying the SPP 1/03 Guideline
                                            methodology, the extent of vegetation is not an appropriate basis for


28 April 2015                                           Cardno                                                         2