CUSTOMER SERVICE INTERUPTION - TUE 12 DEC
Council’s customer service centres will have a planned service interruption on Tuesday, 12 December that will temporarily impact customer service hours.
Customer Service Centres - Erina: closed all day | Wyong: closed from 12.30pm | Gosford: closed from 12pm. All Council Customer Service services will resume as normal from 8.30am Wednesday, 13 December. For urgent matters, you can still call us on 02 4306 7900. Our online Customer Service Centre is also always available.
COUNCIL OFFICE CLOSURES - CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR 2023
- Council offices will be closed over the holiday period from Mon 25 Dec 2023 to Mon 1 Jan 2024 (re-opening Tues 2 Jan 2024). Some of Council’s services and facilities will be closed or have changes, however essential services will continue to operate.
- VIEW FULL DETAILS HERE
- For urgent reports or issues, call Council on 02 4306 7900 at any time. Non-urgent reports, and enquiries can be lodged 24/7 through our online Customer Service Centre (and progressed from 2 Jan).
If your property is located in a bushfire prone area, it could impact the requirements for new buildings, building additions or redevelopment. Find out your responsibilities as a landowner.
Your property could be in a bushfire prone area, which will impact on the requirements for new buildings, building additions or redevelopment.
Land that can support a bush fire or is likely to be subject to bushfire attack is classed as bushfire prone.
Many properties within the Central Coast have been identified by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service as bushfire prone. However, being in a bushfire prone area does not necessarily mean that you are at significant risk from bushfire, or that Council will be doing mitigation works adjacent to your property.
Where to find out about your property
You can identify if your property is classified as bushfire prone land by:
- Checking our interactive mapping tools to find out the zoning of your property
- Requesting a copy of a 10.7 Planning Certificate from Council. This document can be ordered from Council upon completion of a Certificate Application Form
Vegetation types
The interactive mapping tools will show types of vegetation:
- Vegetation Category 1 is considered to be the highest risk for bush fire. It is represented as red.
- Vegetation Category 2 is considered to be a lower bush fire risk than Category 1 and Category 3 but higher than the excluded areas. It is represented as light orange.
- Vegetation Category 3 is considered to be medium bush fire risk vegetation. It is higher in bush fire risk than category 2 (and the excluded areas) but lower than Category 1. It is represented as dark orange.
- The Bush Fire Vegetation Buffer Zone is yellow in colour and represents areas where developments and people are most likely to be affected by a bushfire in the adjacent area.
Building in a bushfire prone area
If you live in or are planning to build in a bush fire prone area, consult the Rural Fire Services for current information and resources.
If a property is identified as bushfire prone, habitable development proposals will need to consider mechanisms or methods to reduce fire risk for people and structures. This may include setbacks (buffers), construction methods, or a combination of both.
Recent changes in legislation have introduced a new policy known as the 10/50 Rule that may in certain situations allow some trees and vegetation to be removed without development consent. See Rural Fire Service for further information and details on Bushfire Prone Land.
Bushfire assessment report
Any proposed development involving habitable structures must be accompanied by a Bushfire Assessment Report when a Development Application is lodged at Council. In some cases, Council may not be able to issue development consent based on direction from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service due to an unacceptably high bushfire risk rating.
Asset Protection Zone
The Rural Fire Service will be able to assist you in determining the need for an Asset Protection Zone on your property. There are strict guidelines for development and maintenance of Asset Protection Zones and an environmental assessment must be completed by a suitably qualified person before removing any vegetation.