Identify bushfire prone land across our city and understand the requirements when planning a new development.
A bushfire prone area contains or is near vegetation that has the potential to come under bushfire attack. If your land is located in a bushfire prone area then certain protection measures must be taken into account when designing a new development.
The Albury Bush Fire Prone Land Map identifies land with vegetation that may support a bushfire or that is likely to be subject to a bushfire attack. The map has been prepared by the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) in consultation with Counciland certified by the Deputy Commissioner Preparedness & Capability.
Bush Fire Prone Land mapping identifies vegetation types and associated buffer zones. Bush fire prone land mapping is designed to flag a property that has the potential to be threatened by bush fire and to initiate an assessment under the NSW RFS publication Planning for Bush Fire Protection 2019 to determine whether land management and or building construction measures need to be adopted to help safeguard the development, its occupants and neighbouring properties from bushfire.
Land considered to be the highest risk for bush fire and surrounded by a 100-metre buffer. This vegetation category includes woodlands and timber plantations and has the highest combustibility and likelihood of forming fully developed fires including heavy ember production.
Land considered to be a lower risk for bush fire and surrounded by a 30-metre buffer.
This vegetation category has lower combustibility and/or limited potential fire size due to the vegetation area shape and size, land geography and management practices.
Land considered to be medium risk for bush fire and surrounded by a 30-metre buffer. This vegetation category includes grasslands.
AS3959 introduced grasslands as a threatening vegetation type in 2009. In 2015 Vegetation Category 3 was introduced into the Guide for Bush Fire Prone Land Mapping (Version 5b) to assist Councils with the transition into thenew vegetation mapping category.
Adjoining area that is determined to act as a buffer to the relevant vegetation category
Albury Bush Fire Prone Land Map (Certified 18 November 2021)
Albury Bush Fire Prone Land Map (Certified 15 October 2014)
NSW RFS – Planning for Bushfire Protection
NSW RFS – Bushfire Assessment Report
Bushfire Attack Level Application
To allow time to transition, all applications submitted from 1 March 2022 will be assessed against the Albury Bush Fire Prone Land Map (certified 18 November 2021).
New development located on bushfire prone land is subject to the controls of the NSW RFS, Planning for Bush Fire Protection. Depending on the type of approval you are applying for, you’ll need to undertake additional steps in the preparation of your application for your development.
For the assessment of new single dwelling developments located on bushfire prone land, a NSW RFS Bushfire Assessment Report must be attached to your application.
As part of our assessment process, we'll establish a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) rating. This rating helps determine what bushfire control measures you'll need to implement as part of your development.
In addition to satisfying all requirements of the relevant planning provision, an application for a BAL rating must be submitted to us and a rating determined prior to applying for a Complying Development Certificate with us or any consent authority.