Submission:totheStandingCommitteeonPlanningandUrbanRenewal

DraftVariationtotheTerritoryPlanNo360–MolongloRiverReserve:changestothepubliclandreserveoverlayboundariesandminorzoneadjustment

MAY2019TheConservationCouncilACTRegionisthepeaknon-governmentenvironmentorganisationfortheCanberraregion.Wehavebeenthecommunity’svoicefortheenvironmentintheCanberraregionsince1979.Ourmissionistoachieveanecologicallysustainableandzeronetcarbonsocietythroughadvocacy,education,researchandengagementwithcommunity,theprivatesectorandwithgovernment.Werepresentmorethan40membergroupswhointurnrepresentover15,000supporters.Weharnessthecollectiveexpertiseandexperienceofourmembergroupsandnetworks.WeworkcollaborativelywithGovernment,businessandthecommunitytoachievethehighestqualityenvironmentforCanberraanditsregion.TheConservationCouncilcampaignson:

• ClimateChange–aregional,nationalandglobalchallenge• Biodiversity–protectingouruniqueecologicalcommunitiesintheBushCapital• Water–smartuseofascarceresource• Transport–connectingpeopleandplaces• Waste–beingefficientthroughclosed-loopsystems• Planning–therightthingsintherightplaces• Governance–forasmarter,sustainableCanberra

Forfurtherinquiriesregardingthissubmissionpleasecontact:

HelenOakeyExecutiveDirector,ConservationCouncilACTRegionPH:62293202Email:director@conservationcouncil.org.au

DV360andtheintersectionwithdevelopmentoftheCoombs“tip”ThissubmissiontotheStandingCommitteeonPlanningandUrbanRenewalonDraftVariation360,whichseekstofinalisetheboundariesoftheMolongloRiverreserve,focusesontheissuessurroundingthemanagementofthenorthernmostareaofCoombs(knownastheCoombs‘tip’)anditsrelationshiptotheMolongloRiverReserve.BackgroundTheConservationCouncilACTRegionhashadalong-standingobjectiontotheproposaltoplaceurbandevelopmentontheCoombs‘tip’–theportionofunder-developedlandthatisnorth-westofEdgeworthParadeAndAnnabelleView,andboundedbytheMolongloRiver.In2011,theConservationCouncilopposeddevelopmentontheCoombstipoutlinedinPV281Notice2008N12008-352,onthegroundsthatitimpactedonthehabitatoftheendangeredspeciesAprasiaparapulchella,thePink-tailedWorm-lizard,andpresentsasignificantbushfirehazardtoresidents.In2012,theobjectionwastakentotheAdministrativeAppealstribunalonthegroundsthatthedevelopmentimpactedonthreatenedspeciesandtherewasinadequatebushfireprotectionoutsidethereserve.AmediationprocessledtoanagreementwiththeGovernmentthatthetipofCoombswouldberemovedfromthedevelopmentapplication(27houseblocksatthetime)ensuringthatthehighqualityAprasiaparapulchella(Pink-tailedWorm-lizard(PTWL))habitatwasoutsidefiremanagementzones.TheoutcomeofthemediationwastoremaininplaceuntilthePlanofManagementfortheMolongloRiverReservewasputinplace.CoombsdevelopmentandtheMolongloRiverReserveHowever,weareveryconcernedaboutdecisionsthatarebeingmadethatoverridethemediationoutcomes,thatmayaffecttheecologicalintegrityoftheReserveaswellasendangerresidents.TheDraftPlanofManagementfortheMolongloRiverreservewasreleasedforconsultationin2018,butGovernmenthasnotyetreleasedthefinalplan.TheCouncilhasnotbeenconsultedaboutwhatthePlanwillindicateinregardstofiremanagementofthissectionofthereserve.Inaddition,theCouncilnoteswithsomealarmthattheIndicativeLandReleaseProgramforMolongloValleyJune2018suggeststhat60housescouldbebuiltonthetipandincludesdwellingsdowntothereserveedge,borderedonlybyafiretrailatthetip,justabovethesteepslopedowntotheriver.ThePTWLhabitatedgeiswithinonemetreofthereserveboundaryfence,goingdownarockysteepslope.Abovethefencetheareaisalreadybulldozedadjoiningthefiretrail.Itappears,therefore,thatthedecisionhasbeenmadetodevelopthisarea,eventhoughnoinformationhasbeengiventojustifytheplacementofhousessoclosetothereserveboundary.Untilthissituationisaddressedintermsofjustifyingsuchadecisionbyquantifyingtheecologicalimpactsofsuchadevelopment,theCouncilcannotsupportplacementoftheboundariesfortheReserveadjacenttotheCoombstip,asstatedinDV360.TheConservationCouncilisveryconcernedthaturbandevelopmentontheCoombstipputsthehabitatofthePTWLatrisk,andcouldresultinanuntenableriskforbushfireforfutureresidents.Theareaisratedas‘bushfireprone’inversion4oftheStrategicBushfire

ManagementPlan2019-2024(andhasbeeninpreviousversions).Torendertheareasafeforresidentialoccupation,asubstantialassetprotectionzoneisrequired,particularlyonthenorth-westernaspectandatthetipitself,wherefiregeneratedvorticescanbeexpectedduetothesteepslopeandtheprevailingwindpattern.Thisareahasbeenburnedouttwicealreadyinthepast20years,in2001inafirecomingfromCoppinsCrossingwhichreachedtheedgeoftheMintinCanberra,andinthe2003bushfire.Vegetatedcreeklinesrunningroughlywest-eastactaswicksforfiretraveloriginatingwestoftheACT,anditisexpectedthatclimatechangewillheightenthesefirerisksinferocityandfrequency.TheexpectedoutcomeoftheurbandevelopmentwouldbethattheOuterAssetZone(inwhichfuelmanagementisidentifiedasapriority)andStrategicFireAdvantageZone(inwhichmanagementinthoseareasshouldbecompatiblewithecologicalrequirements)wouldbeplacedwithintheReserve,directlyonthesteepslopescontaininghighqualityPTWLhabitat(NESPlan,Figure4),clearlyimpactingthespecieshabitatandotherReservevalues.TheConservationCouncilconsidersthatInnerandOuterAssetProtectionZonesandaStrategicFireAdvantageZoneoutsidetheboundaryoftheReservearerequiredontheCoombstiptoprovidefireprotectionforresidentswhileprotectingtheReserve’sconservationvaluesfromsubstantialimpactsfromfiremitigationmanagement.WedrawattentiontoObjective10relatingtolanduse,whichstatesthat“theassessmentandmitigationofbushfireriskthrougheffectiveland-usepolicyandplanningwillreducetheexposureofbuiltandnaturalenvironmentstobushfire”(SBMPv4,2019).Further,theConservationCouncilconsidersthattheinclusionoffirefightingzoneswithinthehighqualityPTWLhabitatfailtomeettheMolongloNESPlanagreementwiththeCommonwealth(October2011).WedrawyourattentiontotherequirementsintheNESPlantoprotectandmaintainhabitatforthePTWLhabitat(Action38amongstothers,p.32:ImplementthemanagementplanfortheMolongloRiverParktoprovideforthemaintenanceandenhancementoftheecologicalconditionofhighandmoderatequalityPTWLhabitatwithinthepark”.TheCoombstipisnotcurrentlymappedasabushfireabatementzone,thoughacrosstheriverthelandisallmappedasthiszone.ThisisacleardefectintheSBMPforthearea,asfireisnotstoppedbyanarrowriverzonewithtreesonbothsides,andwithvegetatedsteepslopestothesouthuptotheproposedReserveboundary.TheCouncilwillbepreparingasubmissiontotheSMBPonthisdefect.

Asoutlinedabove,theConservationCouncilandtheGovernment,viaACATprocessofFebruary2012,agreedthatresolutionofurbandevelopmentatCoombstipandinteractionwithPTWLhabitatshouldberesolvedviathePlanofManagementfortheriverreserve.ItisofconcernthatthefinalPlanofManagementhasnotbeenreleased,withGovernmentresponsestopubliccommentsonDV360statesthatthePOM“willbereleasedbeforetheendof2019”,indicatingitmightstillbesomewayoffbeingready.ThereleaseofthePlanofManagementmightgosomewaytoprovidinganindicationofhowtheReserveadjacenttotheCoombstipwillbemanagedtomaintainandenhancetheecologicalconditionofthisarea.

TheConservationCouncilremainscommittedtoretainingthetipoftheCoombsPeninsulaasopenspace.Whiledeliveringabenefittoresidentsintermsofamenity,ifdesignatedasurbanopenspace,itwillalsoprovideenhancedbushfiresafetyandavoidimpactingtheecologicalintegrityoftheReservefromurbanimpactsaswellasfiremitigation

management.However,giventhelackofclarityaroundthePlanofManagementwithregardstofiremitigationandecologicalmanagement,considerationshouldbegiventothereserveboundarybeingchangedtoincludetheCoombs‘tip’insidethereserve.

RecommendationTheConservationCouncilurgesthatinconsiderationofDV360,theCommitteedefersthefinalisationofthereserveboundaryattheCoombspeninsularuntilconsultationwiththeConservationCouncilisundertakenontheproposedfutureusesoftheCoombstip.SuchimpactsonthereserveneedtobefullycanvassedandagreementonthosefutureusesreachedthatensuresprotectionofthehighqualityPTWLhabitat.

Suchanagreementwilltakeintoaccount:

• thatthereshouldbenohousingdevelopmentontheCoombsPeninsula,andthattheareashouldberetainedasopenspace;

• thatfiremanagementzones(atleastinnerandouterassetprotectionzones)needtobeoutsidetheriverreservetoprovideanadequatefiremitigationbuffertothesuburb;and

• thatallmanagementinsidethereserveisbasedonecologicalobjectivesandoutcomes,sothatthereisnolossofecologicalintegritywithintheMolongloRiverReserveandMNESadjacenttotheCoombsPeninsula.

Intheabsenceofthisprocessbeingundertaken,theCouncilopposestheplacementofthereserveboundariesatCoombstipproposedinDV360,andrecommendthatthereserveboundariesbeextendedsouthintoCoombstipinordertoensureallfiremitigationactionsoccuroutsidethehighqualityPTWLhabitat.

Appendix1:OuterAssetZonesoverlayontoPinkTailedWormLizardhabitat–Coombs–preandpostACATmediation.

InitialProposal:SignificantoverlapofOuterAssetProtectionZoneoverPinkTailedWormLizardHabitat2011

RevisedPostACAThearingFebruary2012MinimaloverlapofOuterAssetProtectionZoneoverPinkTailedWormHabitatwithresidentialblocksBL,BKandBMremoved