Following three years of La Niña – that is rain, remember those catastrophic floods last year? – we have an El Niño ‘alert’ – that is dry weather – and that means increased fire risk.
During the 2019-20 Black Summer fires people had to look carefully at the risks from bushfire to themselves and their properties. To help understand this future risk Tweed Shire Council (TSC) and the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) have now updated mapping of bushfire prone land across the Tweed Shire area.
The latest Tweed Shire mapping has been developed based on NSW RFS guidelines and is the culmination of input from Council’s bushfire, GIS and ecology technical staff, as well as external expert advice.
Medium bushfire risk
A new category of ‘medium bushfire risk’ has been included since the last mapping update in 2021. The introduction of Vegetation Category 3 includes grassland and pastures as bushfire prone vegetation types.
‘The new vegetation category has been introduced to reflect the bushfire risk presented by grasslands and includes areas of unmanaged grassland (cattle grazing), cane land, cleared and unmanaged banana plantations, melaleuca tea tree,’ said Tweed Shire Council in a press release.
The 2023 map, reviewed and certified by the NSW RFS Commissioner on 24 May 2023, is used as a trigger to ensure new developments have adequate protection from bushfire.
Depending on the level of risk, mitigation measures may need to be incorporated into development, ranging from things like metal flyscreens and gutter guards, to modifying the style, construction material or location of a building.
Council’s Planning Director Vince Connell said land which was mapped as bushfire prone did not prevent development from happening, and existing buildings would not require retrospective modifications simply because they were now mapped.
‘The new mapping will only affect you if you are planning a new development on your property, such as building, renovating or starting a home-based business. It is, however, a timely reminder for all property owners to ensure they have a bush fire survival plan,’ Mr Connell said.
The new mapping took immediate effect from the certification date of 24 May 2023, and Council’s Development Assessment and Building Units will be working with the applicants of existing development and modification applications to ensure these new bushfire prone land planning controls are appropriately addressed.
Most land in Tweed Shire is considered bushfire prone, with only the more urbanised areas along the Tweed Coast, Tweed Heads and larger centres not considered at risk.
Mr Connell said RFS guidelines had been updated since the Tweed’s 2012 mapping to recognise the risk of grasslands as a fire hazard, resulting in an additional 20 per cent of rural land being newly mapped.
‘We want to work together to plan for the future, to ensure the Tweed grows and evolves in a sustainable and safe way,’ Mr Connell said.
‘Strategic planning is needed to ensure future land uses are in appropriate locations to minimise the risk to life and property from bush fire attack. The new mapping takes into account changes to the environment, including climate change, and the additional risks posed by grasslands and pasture under these conditions.
‘In the Tweed, about 25,000 additional hectares of land have now been designated as bushfire prone under the new map, which is an approximate 20 per cent increase in land area from the previous 2012 mapping.
‘This means approximately 94 per cent of the Tweed Shire is now classified as bushfire prone land. If you live in bushfire prone land, you should have a bushfire survival plan. This is about keeping our community safe.’
To prepare your bushfire survival plan, visit rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/bush-fire-survival-plan.
For additional information on the NSW Government and Council’s development controls for bushfire prone land, and access to the mapping, visit tweed.nsw.gov.au/ bushfire-prone-land.
