Key Recommendations from Inquiries for planning & building in bushfire prone areas

National Strategy for Disaster Resilience

• Adopted by Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in early 2011

• Looks at reducing the impact of natural disasters in medium to long term

• Recognises that land use planning and building controls reduce, as far as is practicable, community exposure to unreasonable risks from known hazards

Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

• Culmination of an 18-month inquiry into the Victorian fires of 2009, which killed 173 people.

• 67 Recommendations in total: Recommendations 37- 55 deal with Planning and Building

• Key recommendations for land use planning are 39, 40 and 45

• Key recommendations for building are 47, 48, 49 and 52

Planning Recommendations (summary)

• Recommendation 39• Ensure provisions give priority to protection of

human life, adopt a clear objective of substantially restricting development in areas of highest bush fire risk (with due consideration to biodiversity conservation) and provide clear guidance for decision makers

• Recommendation 45• Incorporate bush fire risk management in their

planning policies and strategies for rebuilding communities

Planning Recommendations (summary)

Recommendation 40– Guidelines should • substantially restrict new developments and subdivisions

in areas of highest bush fire risk• set out guidelines for assessing permit applications for

dwellings, non-dwellings and subdivisions)• approve new developments and subdivisions only if

recommended bush fire protection measures are created and maintained on a continuing basis

• emphasise the need for enduring permit conditions.

Building Recommendations (Summary)

• Recommendation 47• Amend the objective of AS 3959-2009, Construction of

Buildings in Bushfire-prone Areas, to ensure it incorporates reducing the risk of ignition from ember attack

• Recommendation 48• Amend performance requirements in the Building Code

of Australia to ensure they incorporate reducing the risk of ignition from ember attack

• Amend the Building Code of Australia to remove deemed-to-satisfy provisions for the construction of buildings in BAL-FZ (the Flame Zone)

Building Recommendations (Summary)

• Recommendation 49• remove deemed-to-satisfy provisions for the construction of

buildings in BAL-FZ (the Flame Zone) • apply bush fire construction provisions to non-residential

buildings that will be occupied by people who are particularly vulnerable to bush fire attack, such as schools, child care centres, hospitals and aged care facilities

• other than in exceptional circumstances, apply minimum BAL-12.5 (AS 3959-2009) to all development

• Recommendation 52• Develop and implement a mechanism for sign-off of any

permit conditions imposed and the regular assessment of landowners’ compliance with conditions.

Keelty Review - Perth Hills Bushfire 2011

• Highlighted the shared responsibility of communities, local government and stage government agencies to build community resilience

• 55 Recommendations• Key recommendations for planning and building

are recommendations 3, 4, 39, and 40

Planning Recommendations (Summary)

• Recommendation 3• The declarations of bushfire prone areas be

transferred from local government to the Western Australian Planning Commission

• Recommendation 40• The State Government mandate that the

title deeds for relevant properties be amended to indicate if the property is in a declared bushfire prone area

Building recommendations (Summary)

• Recommendation 8• State and local governments

– Recognise that regardless of future declarations of bushfire prone areas, the existing planning and building problems in the Perth Hills related to bsufhire risk will persist

– Urge residents in these areas to retrofit their homes and evaporative air conditions in compliance with AS3959-2009

– Examine options to retrospectively bring these areas into compliance with Planning for Bushfire Protection Guidelines