Reference Documents

The ‘Noosa Plan 2017, Division 9 – Natural Hazards Overlays Code’ (O7) requires ‘building
works to be sited, designed and constructed to minimise the number of people and property
subject to a bushfire risk; and maximise the protection of people and property during the
passage of a fire front’. Councils Probable Solution (S7.1) of ‘1.5 times the predominant
mature canopy tree height or 10m whichever is the greater; and 10m from any retained
vegetation strips or small areas of vegetation’ is detailed.

Consequently, and as per the Bushfire Resilient Communities Technical Reference Guide
(QFES, 2019), the required setbacks (APZ’s) detailed in the AS3959-2018, with regard to
building construction standards, are considered appropriate to inform the identified bushfire
hazard to the proposed development and consequently meeting the intent of the
Performance Outcomes of Councils Planning Scheme and State Methodologies.

Subsequently, the following section details the minimum distance required to achieve a
achieving a maximum 29kW/m2 radiant heat flux exposure for the proposed development.
These calculations are subsequently used to inform required APZ distances adjacent the
proposed development, in order to comply with the performance outcomes of the Australian
Standard (AS3959-2018) and the intent of the Noosa Hazard Overlay Code.

3.2 Bushfire Attack Level Assessment
Australian Standard 3959 (2018) Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas provides
minimum construction standards for new dwellings in designated Bushfire Prone Areas. The
construction standards are intended to improve the performance of buildings subjected to
burning debris, radiant heat or flame contact. The AS3959- 2018 methodology prescribes
Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL’s) to the facades of proposed buildings to which corresponding
construction safety standards are applied. AS3959-2018 defines Bushfire Attack Levels as:

         ‘A means of measuring the severity of a building’s potential exposure to ember
         attack, radiant heat and direct flame contact, using increments of radiant heat
         expressed in kilowatts per metre squared, which is the basis for establishing the
         requirements for construction to improve protection of building elements from attack
         by bushfire.’

In accordance with the Australian Standard – Construction of Buildings in Bushfire-prone
Areas (AS 3959, 2018), a Minimum Distance Assessment of the required construction
standards for the proposed development has been undertaken based on the potential
Bushfire Hazard adjacent the proposed development location as detailed above (Table 2).

This assessment has been based on the following assumptions:

     ▪   A Fire Danger Index (FDI) of 47 (QFES 2023);
     ▪   Proposed development will be located in the layout as represented in Figure 2.
 19 June 2023              41 Tallowwood Place, Black Mountain - Bushfire Management Plan   Page 12
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