Bush Fire Prone Land Mapping
Bush Fire Prone Land Mapping
Council is required, by legislation, to periodically request the NSW Rural Fire Service to designate land that it considers to be bushfire prone land on a map. If land is identified as bush fire prone by this map, then it is necessary to factor issues of bushfire risk and safety into the process of undertaking development on that land.
The Commissioner of the NSW RFS recently certified a new version of the Bush Fire Prone Land Map for Bellingen Shire on 3 July 2024. The last version of the Bush Fire Prone Land Map that was produced for Bellingen Shire was certified in 2003. Since the production of the 2003 map, the NSW RFS have introduced an additional category of land to be designated as bush fire prone land on the map. Most significantly, this now includes most grasslands in the non-urban areas of the Shire, which were formerly not categorized as a type of bushfire prone land, however are now recognised by the RFS as having the potential to pose a risk to new development that needs to be considered as part of any development approval process. This means that with the exception of the main population centres, almost all of Bellingen Shire is now mapped as bush fire prone land.
Bush Fire Prone Land Maps are used as triggers for development control approvals purposes and are not intended to be used for any other purposes. They cannot, for example, be interpreted in isolation to make conclusions regarding the specific risk profile faced by a particular property or the relevant construction techniques that would need to be used. This normally takes place through the preparation of a detailed Bush Fire Assessment Report (BFAR) which is prepared in accordance with the provisions of a document called Planning for Bushfire Protection 2019, and that considers matters of the nature described below.
- the location, extent and vegetation formation of any bushland on or within 140 metres of the site;
- the slope under the vegetation hazard for each aspect using the steepest slope within 100 metres of the site;
- any features on or adjoining the site that may mitigate the impact of a bush fire on the proposed development;
- a statement assessing the likely environmental impact of any proposed bush fire protection measures (BPMs) and associated works;
- a site plan showing access, water supplies, asset protection zone (APZ) requirements, bush fire attack level (BAL) and building footprints in relation to the bush fire hazards.
The outcomes of this assessment are then considered by decision makers such as the local Council, to determine whether it is safe to build in a certain area, and whether special conditions need to be attached to any approval to develop land in order to protect life and property from the potential impacts of bushfire.
For those land parcels newly mapped as bushfire prone land due to the existence of grasslands, the main implications in terms of development approvals are that certain construction techniques may need to be employed in the construction of a dwelling, and certain Asset Protection Zones (APZ’s) provided around the development where fuel loads are managed to a consistently low level. In some instances where a suitable perimeter of managed land exists around a proposed dwelling, then there may be no construction specifications necessary at all. In other circumstances though, it is most likely that a Bushire Attack Level (BAL) of 12.5 would apply to the construction. BAL12.5 is primarily concerned with protection of your building from ember attack and radiant heat up to and including 12.5 kW/m2. An example of a bushfire protection measure that is required for a BAL12.5 building is the screening of the openable portions of windows to prevent the entry of embers to the building when the window is open.
If you have a Development Application that has been officially lodged with Council before 3 July 2024 then Council will assess the application based upon whether or not the land was mapped as bush fire prone land at that point in time. If you have lodged, or intend to lodge a Development Application to Council after that point in time then you will need to check if the land is mapped as bushfire prone land and if so, provide an appropriate assessment of risk in accordance with the relevant documentation.
The following resources can be used to determine whether your land is mapped as bushfire prone land, and if so what you need to do to determine the level of risk and whether specific bushfire protection measures will need to be incorporate into your development.
Specialist Bushfire Planning and Design practitioners can also be consulted to advise you on certain parts of the process, or to prepare the necessary documentation that you would need to submit to Council or an Accredited Certifier to show how you have considered bushfire risk
Resources;