Flora and Fauna Assessment - Riverside Oaks Golf Course - Conacher Travers 2001
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Biodiversity Development Assessment Report Riverside Oaks Golf Course 74 O’Briens Road, Cattai March 2021 (REF: 18ROME02) Biodiversity Development Assessment Report Riverside Oaks Golf Course 74 O’Briens Road, Cattai Accredited Michael Sheather-Reid B. Nat. Res. (Hons.) – Managing Director assessors: Accredited Assessor no. BAAS17085 Lindsay Holmes B. Sc. – Senior Botanist – Accredited Assessor no. BAAS17032 George Plunkett B. Sc. (Hons.), PhD – Botanist – Accredited Assessor no. BAAS19010 Corey Mead B. App. Sc. – TreeHouse Ecology - Fauna Ecologist - Accredited Assessor no. BAAS19050 Plans prepared: Sandy Cardow B. Sc. Approved by: Michael Sheather-Reid (Accredited Assessor no. BAAS17085) Date: 02/03/2021 File: 18ROME02BDAR This document is copyright © Travers bushfire & ecology 2021 Disclaimer: This report has been prepared to provide advice to the client on matters pertaining to the particular and specific development proposal as advised by the client and / or their authorised representatives. This report can be used by the client only for its intended purpose and for that purpose only. Should any other use of the advice be made by any person, including the client, then this firm advises that the advice should not be relied upon. The report and its attachments should be read as a whole and no individual part of the report or its attachments should be interpreted without reference to the entire report. The mapping is indicative of available space and location of features which may prove critical in assessing the viability of the proposed works. Mapping has been produced on a map base with an inherent level of inaccuracy, the location of all mapped features is to be confirmed by a registered surveyor. TBE Environmental Pty Ltd 38A The Avenue t: 02 4340 5331 ABN 85 624 419 870 Mt Penang Parklands e: [email protected] PO Box 7138 Central Coast Highway Kariong NSW 2250 Kariong NSW 2250 www.traversecology.com.au Executive Summary Travers bushfire & ecology (TBE) has been engaged by Nanshan Holdings (Aust) Pty Ltd to prepare a biodiversity development assessment report (BDAR) at the Riverside Oaks Golf Course, Cattai. The site is known as the Riverside Oaks Tourist Resort and is currently an operational golf resort facility with significant tourist accommodation and social and corporate event management facilities. Purpose of BDAR The BDAR assesses the biodiversity impacts of a proposed concept masterplan to enable four (4) proposed residential precinct areas, hotel and associated access roads and services including asset protection zones (APZs). Background The surveyed landscape presently contains two (2) golf courses, tourist lodging, club house and function centre and residential development in the north-east part of the site, containing forty-two (42) lots. The study area is subject to a previously approved master plan (1989) based on previous surveys by Ecotone Ecological Consultants (1997) and Conacher Travers (2001). This plan included development spread within each of the major existing bushland portions providing hotel accommodation, holiday cabins, a resort complex, roads and a driving range. Some of this previous masterplan including Areas B, C, D and some of Area F (Figure 1.1) were acted upon to make up the current layout. The 1989 approval and APZs had an estimated impact area of 35.6 ha. The concept master plan has been developed to have less impact upon the site’s ecological resources and to maintain arboreal connectivity. The proposed concept master plan is smaller and estimated to have an impact on 29.44 ha of remnant native vegetation. The 1989 approval design in its entirety, including the remaining works will significantly impact upon natural resources and sever some arboreal connectivity across the landscape. In 2016 an Ecological Assessment report was prepared by Travers bushfire & ecology to support a Planning Proposal to provide a more consolidated landscape and protect important habitat. This assessment supported the implementation of the development control plan (DCP) for the site. A draft amendment to The Hills SCP 2012 Part B Section 1 - Rural has been prepared to support the 2016 planning proposal. The Planning Proposal was approved in 2018 by the Minister for an amendment to the Hills Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2012 to permit up to three hundred (300) dwelling houses and tourist accommodation (refer to Figure 1.2). The biodiversity offset strategy (separate document) will take the 1989 approval into consideration for determining the appropriate offsets and rehabilitation works on retained vegetation on site. i Concept masterplan A concept masterplan (2019) has been prepared that is generally consistent with the DCP, with the hotel design at the northern tip of Precinct C. Precincts A and B have also been refined to reduce their footprint. An Ecological Consistency Report was prepared by Travers bushfire & ecology (April 2019) to identify the consistencies and inconsistencies in anticipated ecological impacts between the Riverside Oaks Tourism Complex, as referred to in Part B Section 1 - Rural of The Hills Development Control Plan 2012 (DCP), and the current proposed concept masterplan. Figure A below shows the original 1989 approved layout. Figure A - Master Plan Approval (1989) ii Figure B - Updated Master Plan, May 2019 The Ecological Consistency Report has been provided to Council and fundamentally demonstrated that the proposed concept masterplan does not significantly vary from the DCP outcomes and is consistent with the ecological outcomes and recommendations as proposed under the DCP and recommendations as agreed to by Dr Ross Goldingay for Yellow-bellied Glider. In particular there has been an improvement in the area of land protected under the conservation zone and the tree retention areas. The key outcomes of the Ecological Consistency Report include: • Closer examination of tree retention associated with the proposed hotel precinct and precinct C has identified priority areas for protection and enhancement of canopy connectivity. • Remapping of Shale Sandstone Transition Forest (SSTF) to Yellow Bloodwood - Narrow-leaved Apple heathy woodland PCT 1640 using the BAM (2020) associated with precinct B. • An overall reduced impact on (SSTF) and a not significant impact caused by the proposed changes as embodied in the Concept masterplan • An improvement in the overall width and extent of tree retention areas in precincts A, B & C resulting in an increase of 4.6 ha protected under tree retention areas which results in a significant improvement in canopy connectivity for Yellow-bellied Glider. • Detailed examination of the Hotel Precinct and proposed enhancement works to maintain and improve canopy connectivity. • More detailed assessment for arboreal connectivity options through the golf course iii Figure C – Overlay between approved Masterpolan (1989) and the concept master plan DA2019 It is noted that the consistency report was prepared prior this BDAR and changes in the concept masterplan have been made in response to agency comments. The two key changes are the provision of the eastern link road to RFS standards and the expansion of the stewardship site to cover all remaining large remnants of vegetation within the study area in accordance with the Biodiversity Offset Strategy. The concept masterplan will form the development application, and will be assessed within this report in accordance with BAM (2020). It includes the creation of four (4) Residential Development Precincts (A, B, C & D) and one (1) Tourist Precinct (H). This includes a conservation area which forms part of a Biodiversity Stewardship Site. All residual lands are to be managed in accordance with a vegetation management plan. Figure 1.2 of the document (or Figure B in the executive summary) shows the four (4) proposed development precincts (A-D) and the Hotel Precinct (H), Figure 1.3 depicts the staging of the development. In addition to the development precincts, an upgraded secondary road link has been provided to the south of precincts A & B extending to the east, entering Wisemans Ferry Road. For the purposes of determining development impacts, the link road between Precinct C, B and A out to the south-east corner of the study area has allowed 4m either side of the road for potential cut and fill impacts. The link road follows the existing access track where possible with an increased pavement width of 8m. Peripheral areas within the golf course lands (outside of the subdivision lots) include areas important for biodiversity as well as areas that will be used for asset protection and fire trails. The management of these peripheral areas is to be assured through the preparation of a vegetation management plan, biodiversity stewardship agreement and a fuel management plan, with long term management being undertaken by the landowner. Where the landowner iv will be the relevant neighbourhood association, funding for long term management will be incorporated into the Community Title Scheme. The fuel management plan will be integrated with the VMP and will detail the ongoing vegetation management requirements of the APZ and fire trails as well as incorporating a strategic burn program. Almost 55 ha of the proposed lands will be set up in the agreed conservation area, managed as a biodiversity stewardship site to be registered on title. Currently, the proposed stewardship site contains 52.84 ha of native vegetation. The ecological assessment in 2016 has involved extensive liaison with Dr Ross Goldingay