Bushfire Prone Land Maps are required to be prepared under section 10.3 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. They are used under the Act to determine which development applications require assessment under the NSW Rural Fire Service’s Planning for Bushfire Protection Guideline.
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has changed how bushfire-prone land maps are produced and now includes a third category of bushfire hazard, which includes grasslands comprising of grazing and cropping lands, including sugar cane. The RFS provided Council with a Draft Bushfire Prone Land Map based upon the new mapping guideline. Council worked with the RFS to review and improve the map’s accuracy, producing the Draft Richmond Valley Council Bushfire Prone Land Map (dated 2 Dec 2024).
This Draft Map is now being publicly displayed to alert residents and landowners to pending changes to the mapping. Feedback and comments received during the exhibition will be considered by Council and forwarded to the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service for consideration before certification of the map. Once certified, the new map becomes effective immediately and replaces the Richmond Valley Council LGA Bushfire Prone Land Map (17 Feb 2015).
Figure 1 – Draft Richmond Valley Council Bushfire Prone Land Map (2 Dec 2024)
The Draft Bushfire Prone Land Map is being publicly displayed until COB Monday, 31 March 2025. The Draft Map may be inspected at the Council’s Customer Experience Centres in Casino & Evans Head and online via the “On Exhibition” page of the Council’s Website, including the Council’s online Mapping tool.
Any person may make written submissions during the exhibition period by addressing them to the General Manager:
- Richmond Valley Council, Locked Bag 10, CASINO NSW 2470, or
- by email to council@richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au , or
- by completing an online submission form via the On Exhibition page.
Where a submission is by way of objection, the reasons for the objection must be explained.
Notes. All submissions will be treated as public documents.
Further information on the Draft Map is available from Council on (02) 66600300.