Gold Coast City Council’s Bushfire Resilience Framework shows risk of increasing population

The bushfire threat on the Gold Coast is so severe it will impact on the city’s ability to meet population targets set by the State Government.

THE bushfire threat on the Gold Coast is so severe it will affect the city’s ability to meet population targets set by the State Government.

The council is already under pressure to meet increased population levels after a community-wide protest before Christmas saw quotas reduced in suburbs like Labrador and Biggera Waters.

The latest council overlay mapping produced as part of a Bushfire Resilience Framework report shows more than half of the city has a high or very high bushfire hazard level.

Latest bushfire hazard overlay map produced by Gold Coast City Council.

Those areas most at risk of fire are west of the Pacific Motorway in the south and far north, where the council hopes to develop greenfield sites.

Councillors have ticked off on the framework, which sets out 12 tough key measures including land-use management.

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One of the requirements is “zero increase in the number of new developments exposed to unacceptable levels of bushfire risk”.

The report by officers acknowledges the council must create 158,700 new dwellings in the city by 2041 under the South East Queensland Regional Plan.

The sun rises over bushland on the border. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt).

Officers warned it was “critical that growth be managed in accordance with best practice urban design and bushfire management planning as it has the potential to place houses and other assets in proximity to bushfire hazard”.

A council source told the Bulletin: “The real challenge is in the west, not in the suburban areas.

“It doesn’t eliminate development but it needs to be managed appropriately.”

Veteran councillor Dawn Crichlow said the council faced a real challenge and was concerned the city was pulling back on increasing density in urban areas and putting pressure on bushfire-risk zones.

The council had allowed for unlimited heights and approved 50-storey developments in Chevron Island only to reverse the trend under amendments to the City Plan.

Fire roars through Beechmont in the Gold Coast Hinterland during the November bushfires. Picture: Aaron Kearney

“Now there’s been eight (buildings) approved and we are bringing them back to eight to 10 levels,” Cr Crichlow said.

“Therefore we have to have more population in the bushfire areas.

“The current community should come first. There are a lot of people who want to buy acreage still. You still have some acreage out at Parkwood. Keep to that, I say, and reduce the risk.”

Ruins of Binna Burra Lodge, which was destroyed during bushfires in the Gold Coast Hinterland. Photo: Kirstin Payne

The council report warned it was not only residents who needed to be protected.

“The Gold Coast is famous for its Hinterland tourist destinations and accommodation,” the report said.

“The safety of the city’s significant visitor population is an important element of bushfire management on the Gold Coast.”