Biodiversity and Waterways
Session purpose
 Provide an overview of the biodiversity content
 Provide an overview of the waterways content
 Outline key changes between Brisbane City Plan 2000 and
Brisbane City Plan 2014
Introduction - Biodiversity
 New simple and transparent biodiversity provisions will
improve biodiversity protection and help to achieve the Vision
2031 target
 Biodiversity areas overlay will secure a connected and
consolidated network of habitats across Brisbane
 A simple and flexible approach to biodiversity offsets
Overview of Codes and PSPs
 Biodiversity areas overlay map and code
 Biodiversity areas planning scheme policy
 Biodiversity offsets code
 Offsets planning scheme policy
 Waterway corridors overlay map & code
 Wetlands overlay map & code
 Wildlife movement solutions (WMS) in Streetscape hierarchy
overlay code
 Significant landscape trees overlay map and code
 Vegetation planning scheme policy
Biodiversity Areas Overlay Map
Policy Setting - Biodiversity
The overlay map includes five sub-categories:
1. High ecological significance – supports the most significant ecological features,
and are to be protected and restored
2. General ecological significance – supports some ecological value, but may be
somewhat isolated from the broader biodiversity network
3. Biodiversity interface area – adjoin HES where land use change is anticipated.
Area is intended to accommodate low-impact land uses, such as landscaping
areas or esplanade roads
4. and 5. Priority koala habitat area and Koala habitat area – locations known to
support higher densities of koalas. Koala habitat trees are protected and restored
to preserve local populations of koalas
Policy Setting – Biodiversity
• Identifies the biodiversity significance of lands in Brisbane
• Secures Vision 2031 target
• Protection of an ecologically robust network of well-connected
habitats
• Formalises offsets policy where intrusion into an area with
biodiversity value is unavoidable
• Provides safe movement routes for wildlife
• Reflects Queensland Government requirements for koala
conservation
Policy Comparison - Biodiversity
Brisbane City Plan 2000
• No Planning Scheme Map
• Biodiversity values managed by
Biodiversity code and Natural
Assets Planning Scheme Policy
• Lists of significant vegetation
communities, flora and fauna
• Ecological assessments required
for many DAs
Brisbane City Plan 2014
• Biodiversity areas overlay map identifies
areas with biodiversity significance
• Greater emphasis on protection of areas
with strategic biodiversity significance,
including wildlife corridors
• Requires protection, management and
restoration of land mapped within
Biodiversity areas overlay
• Dwelling houses located outside of
Biodiversity areas overlay mapping and
development footprint minimised
• Ecological assessment reports only
required for unavoidable development
intrusion
• Biodiversity areas PSP provides guidance
on ecological assessments, development
design and koala conservation
Policy Comparison - Biodiversity
Brisbane City Plan 2000
• No guidance for the
establishment of
biodiversity offsets
Brisbane City Plan 2014
• Introduction of biodiversity offsets where
unavoidable development intrusion is allowed
in biodiversity areas
• Provides two options to meet offset obligations,
including monetary payment to Council or
direct offsets at suitable receiving site in
biodiversity network
• Requires that biodiversity offsets adequately
reflect the significance of the clearing site and
that offsets contribute to establishing a
consolidated and connected biodiversity
network
• Monetary payments will be set annually in the
Fees and Charges Schedule
• Offsets PSP provides guidance on selecting
receiving sites, habitat restoration, monitoring
and reporting
Policy Comparison – Biodiversity
Brisbane City Plan 2000
Brisbane City Plan 2014
• Wetlands mapped in Planning
Scheme map and protected by
Wetlands Code
• Wetlands with significant ecological
value included in Biodiversity areas
overlay
• Wetlands that have a hydrological
function identified in Wetlands overlay
and are protected from changes to
hydrological regimes
• Installation of wildlife movement
solutions required in some Local and
Neighbourhood Plans
• Wildlife movement solutions locations
shown on Streetscape hierarchy
overlay
• Wildlife movement solutions required
for new roads in the Biodiversity
areas overlay
• Guidance on selection of appropriate
wildlife movement solution designs
included in Infrastructure Design PSP
Policy Comparison - Biodiversity
Brisbane City Plan 2000
• Koalas identified as significant
species in Natural Assets Planning
Scheme Policy but no specific
guidance provided
Brisbane City Plan 2014
• Koala habitat areas mapped in
Biodiversity areas overlay
• Requires protection of koala habitat
and koala habitat trees
• Requires conservation of koala
movement opportunities
• Development incorporates koala
habitat trees in landscaping and open
space areas
• Reflects Queensland Government
Koala State Planning Regulatory
Provisions
Policy Comparison – Biodiversity
Brisbane City Plan 2000
• Generic requirements for protection
of significant vegetation incorporated
throughout numerous codes
Brisbane City Plan 2014
• Protection of significant vegetation
required in:
− Centre or mixed use code
− Dual occupancy code
− Industry code
− Multiple dwelling code
− Filling and excavation code
− Subdivision code
• New Vegetation PSP introduced to
assist applicants with:
− identification of significant
vegetation outside of
Biodiversity areas overlay
− development design or lot
layouts to protect significant
vegetation
Policy Comparison – Vegetation
Brisbane City Plan 2000
Brisbane City Plan 2014
• Significant landscape trees listed in
Natural Assets PSP
• Landscape features mapped on
selected Neighbourhood Plans
• Sites supporting SLTs, any adjoining
affected sites and Landscape
Features mapped on Significant
landscape tree overlay
• Tree species and dimensions for
Landscape Features listed in
Significant landscape tree overlay
code
• Tree species and sites with individual
and groups of SLTs listed in
Significant landscape tree overlay
code
• NP codes seek protection of PSPlisted SLTs or replacement trees
• Limited guidance on Landscape
Features and tree protection
measures
• Development retains significant
landscape trees
• Where loss is unavoidable, significant
landscape trees are replaced with a
number of trees to ensure no net
canopy loss
Level of Assessment – Biodiversity
Development
Level of Assessment
MCU
Code *
MCU for a dwelling house
Self or Code *
ROL
Code *
Operational work for filling or excavation
Code *
2
Operational work for clearing more than 500m vegetation
in Koala habitat area
Code *
Building work for outdoor lighting
Code *
Building work for an extension to a dwelling house outside
of an approved development footprint (or over deemed
Code *
2
footprint of 1000m )
* If the MCU or ROL is impact assessable, the level of assessment is not
lowered to code assessment
Introduction - Waterways
• New Waterway corridors overlay code with 3 sub-categories:
− Brisbane River corridor
− Citywide waterway corridor
− Local waterway corridor
• Clearer guidance on development in waterway corridors
• Self assessable criteria for dwellings
Policy Setting – Waterways
Waterway corridor overlay code:
• Development must allow for movement of fauna, minimise road crossings and
retain natural flowpaths and corridors
• All corridors still achieve primary purpose of waterway health but increased
emphasis on multiple uses (recreation, habitat, conveyance and health)
• New self-assessable criteria for dwellings
• New citywide and local categories to specify functions and outcomes clearly.
Focus on local waterway corridor providing private recreation
• Corridors are now clearly mapped
• Landscape characteristics of Brisbane River Corridor sections are maintained
as per Brisbane City Plan 2000
Policy Comparison – Waterways
Brisbane City Plan 2000
• Waterway corridors and Brisbane River
corridor mapped but not termed
‘overlay’ as per QPP
• Development in a waterway corridor
regulated through the Waterway code
• Performance outcomes by waterway
function
• Required rehabilitation of waterway
corridor
Brisbane City Plan 2014
• Mapping of corridor extent is now clearer
and at a finer scale
• Introduction of citywide and local
waterway corridor classification (in
addition to Brisbane River corridor)
• Development maintains and enhances
waterway corridors and protects the flood
storage and conveyance functions of
waterway corridors
• Development designs built form to
support waterway corridors
• Development in the Brisbane River
corridor maintains the corridor’s
important values
• Reduced setback for houses in local
waterway corridors
• Planting species PSP contains preferred
species for riparian vegetation
Level of Assessment – Waterways
Development
Level of Assessment
MCU for a dwelling house
Self or Code *
MCU other than for a dwelling house
Self or Code *
ROL
Operational work for filling or excavation
No change
Code *
Building work for an extension to a dwelling house
Self or Code *
Building work in the Brisbane River corridor subcategory
Self or Code *
* If the MCU or ROL is impact assessable, the level of assessment is not
lowered to code assessment
Summary
• New simple and transparent biodiversity provisions will
improve biodiversity protection and help to achieve the Vision
2031 target
• New Waterway corridors overlay code with three subcategories
• Clearer guidance on development in waterway corridors