Bushfire Management Reports for Residential Subdivisions

Detailed Bushfire Management Plans to manage bushfire risk and mitigation for proposed residential developments are regularly required as part of the planning and approval process. On the outskirts of Melbourne, many proposed large subdivisions are located within the growth corridors of Melbourne's Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and developers and planners require high quality bushfire planning advice and reports as part of the approval process.

Our bushfire consultants are experienced in all aspects of bushfire planning and can produce any report required as part of a planning and/or building permit application. In Victoria this includes:

• Bushfire Management Statements to respond to the Bushfire Management Overlay. These must address building bushfire attack level (BAL) construction standards, vegetation management, emergency access and static water supplies.
• Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) reports for buildings constructed or altered in the designated bushfire prone area.
• Bushfire Risk Assessments that address Clause 13.02-1S of the Victoria Planning Provisions. These are typically required for large subdivisions, developments where large numbers of people gather such as schools, hospitals, recreation centres, planning scheme amendments and local planning policy changes.
• Bushfire Management Plans may be required as part of a Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) to assess the bushfire risk and provide mitigation strategies during construction and upon completion.

Achieving Better Outcomes

We recommend that bushfire planning for a development not be treated in isolation to the assessment of impacts to biodiversity as these aspects often work hand-in-hand with the planning scheme. Engaging specialist bushfire and ecological advice for both specialties early in the design and planning process (in one consolidated report if possible), often results in better time and cost outcomes for developments.

Further Information

For further information about bushfire risk assessment and management, and how to minimise biodiversity offset requirements, please contact our natural heritage team on 1300 839 325.

 

Back to Projects