Background

The Camden Bush Fire Prone Lands Map shows land that can be prone to a bush fire or is likely to be subject to bush fire / ember attack. The Bush Fire Prone Land Maps have been prepared by Council and certified by the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service.

In general, Bush Fire Prone Land mapping identifies vegetation types and associated buffer zones. Bushfire prone land mapping is designed to flag a property that has the potential to be threatened by bushfire and to initiate an assessment under the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) publication Planning for Bush Fire Protection 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.

Objectives

1. Prevent loss of, and damage to life, property and the environment due to bushfires by requiring development to be compatible with bushfire risk management principles;
2. Ensure that all new and redeveloped allotments have sufficient measures to minimise the impact of bushfires;
3. Ensure that future development does not increase the bushfire risk management and maintenance responsibilities on adjacent properties;
4. Identify the potential bushfire threats to individual sites and ensure that there are adequate water supplies available for firefighting; and
5. Identify asset protection zones between areas of potential hazard and development.

Controls

1. Development on land identified as bushfire prone on Council’s Bush Fire Prone Land Map must address the bush fire protection measures in the NSW RFS publication Planning for Bush Fire Protection (or equivalent).
   

   NOTE:  Applications to build within the Flame Zone or proposing a performance-based solution under the Planning for Bush Fire Protection Guidelines will be referred to the Rural Fire Service (RFS) for comment.

2. Asset protection zones must be contained wholly within the subdivision they are designed to protect. The asset protection zones are to be placed as a restriction as well as a positive covenant on the burdened allotments. No habitable buildings or storage structures are permitted within those zones.
3. Asset protection zones, fire trails and perimeter roads are not permitted on land that is considered or zoned environmentally sensitive.
4. For new subdivisions, compliance with Planning for Bush Fire Protection may require road design alterations (i.e. wider carriageways). In such an event the requirements of Planning for Bush Fire Protection override any road design requirements of this DCP (including Schedules) or Council’s Engineering Specifications.