2017-10-10 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                               10 OCTOBER 2017


Natural Hazards Overlay Code:
13.30.2 The overall outcomes sought from the Natural Hazards Overlays Code are—
     a.    development in areas at risk from natural hazards is compatible with the nature of the
           natural hazard so as not to place people, property, economic activity, social wellbeing
           and the natural environment at risk;
     b.    development is resilient to natural hazard events by ensuring siting and design
           accounts for and minimises potential risks of natural hazards to people and property;
     c.    development supports, and does not unduly burden disaster management response
           or recovery capacity and capabilities;
     h.    for bushfire hazard areas—bushfire risk mitigation treatments are accommodated in a
           manner that avoids or minimises impacts on the natural environment and ecological
           processes
Specific Outcome 4 New Uses states:
The proposed use does not compromise the safety of people or property from bushfire.
There is a clear intent within the planning scheme that land use and development appropriately
manages the safety of occupiers/users of new development.
The proposal must ensure that persons accommodated within the development, associated staff
and visitors are not subject to an unreasonable level of risk associated with a natural hazard.
The applicant has provided a Bushfire Assessment against the Noosa Plan’s Natural Hazards
Overlay Code provisions for bushfire, which concludes that the relevant requirements can be
met.
However, the fire modelling provided by the applicant has demonstrated the site is subject to
Very High Potential Intensity with access to be provided through the 15m wide asset protection
area.
The asset protection area includes a 3m wide strip to be located in the proposed environmental
park area, to be dedicated to the crown. It is considered unreasonable to locate an asset
protection zone within a third party’s property as it unduly burdens the future land manager with
bushfire control for the development, including associated liabilities.
The applicant’s modelling of the potential fire-line intensity of Very High and flame length of 10m
means the buildings at the bushland interface will have to be built to the highest bushfire
classifications. The location of the water quality devices in the asset protection area further
compromise properties adjacent to the asset protection area due to the flammability of the
vegetation within these devices.
The location of the single access/egress area within the asset protection zone further comprises
the safety of people accessing the site in an emergency situation.
The applicant has not satisfactorily demonstrated the bushfire hazards associated with the
development of the site can be adequately addressed with the current configuration.
Biodiversity Overlay Code:
The development site is not mapped as containing a Biodiversity Overlay area however the
adjacent land to the west, Noosa National Park, contains Environmental Protection Area as
mapped by the Biodiversity Overlay. The development has the potential to impact on the values
associated with the National Park.
The Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing has requested the development
accommodate appropriate fire mitigation measures including appropriate buffer and access for
urban fire appliances.
The western portion of the site contains a remnant Melaleuca wetland and abuts the sedge
land/heathland in the National Park. These features contain suitable habitat for threatened
species with distinct and particular habitat requirements. This area was to be allocated as
Council reserve in previous approvals.


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