Removing trees to create defendable space
Defendable space
Defendable space is an essential bushfire protection objective that reduces bushfire risk to an acceptable level by separating the building from the bushfire hazard, vegetation. This requirement cannot be waived where a planning permit in the Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) is approved.
If you need a planning permit in the BMO, and there are trees near the proposed building area, vegetation removal will likely be required to create defendable space.
Planning permits for vegetation removal
If your land is covered by an environmental overlay or native vegetation, there may be additional planning permit requirements for the removal of vegetation to create defendable space.
Clause 52.17 Native Vegetation requires the loss from native vegetation removal to be compensated with native vegetation offsets. Offsets are an additional cost, which can be substantial, whether proposed on your land (if eligible) or purchased from a third party.
Engaging our services early in the design process will ensure impacts to vegetation are avoided and minimised as far as practicable, reducing the costs of vegetation removal and offset requirements.
Planning permit exemptions
In some instances, vegetation removal is exempt from planning permit requirements.
All relevant planning controls and exemptions for vegetation removal will be addressed in an avoid and minimise statement and native vegetation removal report.
Avoiding and minimising impacts to native vegetation
Our principal consultant has over a decade of experience working with the native vegetation regulations and local government planning and can rely on this experience to advise how to avoid and minimise impacts to trees and native vegetation as far as practicable when creating defendable space.
Services include avoid and minimise statements and native vegetation removal reports to satisfy the application requirements of Clause 52.17 Native Vegetation and environmental overlays.
Please note that a report prepared by a qualified arborist identifying tree species, size, and location within the defendable space area will need to be provided for these services.