Draft policy to improve preparedness for bush fires

The NSW Government is inviting feedback on a draft policy to improve bush fire resilience and ensure communities are better prepared for the impact of major bush fires.

Under the draft policy, developed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) and the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS), bush fire risk will be considered upfront during strategic planning, rather than being pushed to the development application stage.

The draft policy aims to ensure new residential areas in NSW are better planned and designed with respect to bush fire risk, consider changing climate conditions and ensure there is adequate evacuation capacity.

The community, industry and local councils are invited to have their say on the draft policy until 30 July.

The new draft policy responds to the 2019/20 NSW Bushfire Inquiry, which recommended the NSW Government develop a new bush fire policy to accommodate changing climate conditions and the increasing likelihood of more catastrophic bush fires.

The draft planning initiatives have been developed in collaboration between DPHI and the NSW RFS, and includes a draft policy for strategic planning, an updated Planning Circular and updated Local Planning Direction.

To support the proposal, the Department and the NSW RFS are updating the strategic planning chapter in the RFS's Planning for Bush Fire Protection (PBP) document, which is used by councils and developers to plan for new homes in bush fire prone areas.

To view the draft Bush Fire Prone Land Package and have your say visit the NSW Planning Portal.

Deputy Secretary Development Assessment & Sustainability, David Gainsford said community feedback will help DPHI to continue to improve the NSW Planning system and inform the final package.

"The Department, in partnership with the NSW RFS, has developed a draft Bush Fire Prone Land Package to ensure that bush fire risk is considered first and foremost in the planning process across NSW," Mr Gainsford said.

"The package will improve the integration of bush fire into strategic land use planning, respond to climate change, decrease the cost of recovery and rebuilding, to ensure our communities are more resilient to bush fire."