New Bushfire Assessment Process
Recent State Government Legislative changes have resulted in new assessment procedure for development on land that has been classified as having a bushfire risk.
The new procedure affects both Council and intending developers. Prior to lodging a development application it is best to contact Council in writing and ask if your property is subject to any bushfire risk. In order to try to help as much as we can, new procedures have been put in place to quickly answer these enquiries.
If your land is identified as affected, then the new Legislation says you must prepare an assessment of the risk to support an application for development. This assessment must be prepared within the "Planning for Bushfire" guidelines prepared by the Rural Fire Service & Planning NSW, and you can get this guideline via the internet from NSW Rural Fire Service
Council staff cannot resolve your application without this Bush Fire Assessment having been completed, and your application will be returned until this information can be provided.
Council staff cannot prepare, or assist in the preparation, of this assessment. If you feel that you are unable to prepare this assessment, the Rural Fire Service has provided a list of consultants, which we have attached for your assistance. This information is also provided on their web site and may be subject to alteration from time to time.
In some circumstances, depending on the type of risk classification, development may require formal referral to the Rural Fire Service, and if this is the case, may involve payment of additional fees and added time for processing. If you are unsure whether this applies or not, please ask Council's staff who will be happy to discuss this with you.