AMENDMENT C102 - WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT OVERLAY

Background

The Wildfire Management Overlay (WMO) is used to identify areas where the fire intensity level of wildfire is likely to pose a threat to life and property. It ensures that development within Bushfire Prone Areas (BPAs) includes specified fire protection measures and does not significantly increase the threat to life and property from wildfire.

The WMO is a risk management tool which seeks to ensure appropriate development and land management in areas of high fire intensity. It is intended to ensure that development in areas of high fire intensity has appropriate:

• water supply
• access 
• building siting and design, and 
• fuel-reduced areas around buildings

The WMO sets out a series of objectives and outcomes for buildings and works associated with specific uses and for subdivisions. A planning permit application must demonstrate that the objectives and outcomes have been considered and incorporated in a proposal.

The WMO can be applied to rural areas of Victoria where:

• CFA high intensity risk mapping has been prepared and
• the evaluation of that mapping indicates that the requirements of the overlay will reasonably contribute to reducing the potential effects of a high intensity fire.

The Wildfire Management Overlay has been incorporated into the Ballarat Planning Scheme through Amendment C102 , approved on 22nd January, 2009.

Links

• Building in a Wildfire Management Overlay (CFA website PDF)