Aldington Road Estate, Kemps Creek SSD 17552047 Biodiversity Development Assessment Report prepared for Frasers Property Development écologique | environmental consulting écologique Aldington Road Estate, Kemps Creek SSD 17552047 Aldington Road Estate, Kemps Creek SSD 17552047 prepared for Frasers Property Development This document has been prepared for the benefit of Frasers Property Development. No liability is accepted by écologique with respect to its use by any other person. This disclaimer shall apply notwithstanding that the report may be made available to other persons for an application for permission or approval to fulfil a legal requirement. Certification I, Kat Duchatel (BAAS17054), certify that this biodiversity development assessment report has been prepared on the basis of the requirements of (and information provided under) the current biodiversity assessment method (OEH 2020). Kat Duchatel BSc.Env. CEnvP EIANZ #691 17/06/2021 BAM Accreditation No. BAAS17054 écologique 12 Wanganella Street, Balgowlah NSW 2093 0437 821 110 | [email protected] Revision Schedule Rev No Date Description Issued to 1 26/05/2021 DRAFT Biodiversity Development Frasers Assessment Report 2 03/06/2021 Biodiversity Development Frasers Assessment Report 3 17/06/2021 Biodiversity Development Frasers Assessment Report – amended floor plan Biodiversity Development Assessment Report ii | Page écologique Aldington Road Estate, Kemps Creek SSD 17552047 Executive Summary Frasers Property Industrial (Frasers) is proposing to construct and operate a warehouse and logistics hub at 155 to 217 Aldington Road, Kemps Creek (the subject land) in the Penrith City Council local government area (LGA). The proposed development (the proposal) is classified as a Part 4.1 State Significant Development under the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). This Biodiversity Development Assessment Report has been prepared to addresses the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs for SSD-17552047, which for biodiversity requires: “An assessment of the proposal’s biodiversity impacts in accordance with the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, including the preparation of a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) where required under the Act, except where a waiver for preparation of a BDAR has been granted.” Under Division 2 Section 6.7 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 the NSW Environment Minister established the Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM) in connection with the NSW Biodiversity Offsets Scheme. The proposal’s biodiversity impacts have been assessed through application of the BAM, which is documented in this Biodiversity Development Assessment Report. The subject land extends over approximately 43 hectares (ha) of substantially cleared land and consists of market gardens, pasture, rural housing and associated farm sheds, horse agistment and a disused harness training circuit, several farm dams and private access roads (both sealed driveways and unsealed roads). Two plant community types (PCTs) were confidently allocated to the native vegetation present within the subject land, with a third PCT allocated to farm dam area containing native macrophytes: 1. Forest Red Gum - Rough-barked Apple grassy woodland on alluvial flats of the Cumberland Plain, Sydney Basin Bioregion (PCT 835); and 2. Grey Box - Forest Red Gum grassy woodland on flats of the Cumberland Plain, Sydney Basin Bioregion (PCT 849). 3. Phragmites australia and Typha orientalis coastal freshwater wetlands of the Sydney Basin Bioregion (PCT 1071), which has been allocated to farm dam areas. Eighteen ecosystem credits will be required to offset the removal of these PCTs in accordance with the NSW Biodiversity Offset Scheme, as summarised below: PCT Threatened ecological community (TEC) Area (ha) Credits required River-flat Eucalypt Forest on Coastal 835 - Cumberland Floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney 0.2 3 riverflat forest Basin and SE Corner Bioregions 849 - Cumberland Cumberland Plain Woodland in the Sydney 0.73 12 shale plains woodland Basin Bioregion Freshwater Wetlands on Coastal Floodplains of the New South Wales North Coast, Sydney 1071 - Coastal Basin and 3.3 3 freshwater wetlands South East Corner Bioregions (Part); Listed BC Act, E: Sydney Freshwater Wetlands in the Sydney Basin Bioregion (Part) No species credit species have been identified as requiring an offset. Biodiversity Development Assessment Report iii | Page écologique Aldington Road Estate, Kemps Creek SSD 17552047 Approximately 38.7 ha of the subject land does not require an offset. These areas include market gardens, cleared residential land, planted native and exotic vegetation and pasture/exotic weed areas as summarised below: Description Area (ha Market gardens 10.07 Pasture 20.81 Planted native 0.99 Planted native - exotic 0.09 Planted exotic 1.15 Weeds 2.32 Buildings / other 3.30 Total area 38.73 Serious and Irreversible Impact (SAII) values have also been considered in this assessment. Cumberland Plain Woodland of the Sydney Basin Bioregion is listed as an SAII entity, however SAII thresholds for this community are still under development. Additional matters relating to impacts on flora and fauna which are not covered by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2017 (BC Act) must also be addressed for the proposal. Relevant and potential Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) listed under with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) include two TECs as follows: • The NSW Cumberland Plain Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion (PCT 849), which is is listed as the critically endangered Cumberland Plain Shale Woodlands and Shale-Gravel Transition Forest. • The NSW River-Flat Eucalypt Forest on Coastal Floodplains of the New South Wales North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner Bioregions (PCT 835), which was listed as the critically endangered Coastal floodplain eucalypt forest of eastern Australia (date effective 15-Dec- 2020). In order to be protected as a MNES area of the ecological community must meet both key diagnostic and minimum condition thresholds as prescribed by the Australian Government (DAWE, 2020). Neither of PCT 835 and PCT 849 within the subject land meet the criteria for consideration as a MNES under the DAWE (2020) key diagnostic and minimum condition thresholds. Other MNES identified from the EPBC Act protected matters search for the locality include threatened flora and fauna species and migratory species. This assessment has indicated that the subject land is unlikely to provide habitat important to any of the listed species. Regardless, all listed MNES are described further in a referral being submitted for assessment by the Minister. Mitigation of construction impacts will be specified within a project specific Construction and Environmental Management Plan (CEMP). The proposal’s direct and permanent impact on 1.27 ha of native vegetation will be mitigated through a range of measures, which are to be specified in a fauna and flora management plan (FFMP). As a subplan to the CEMP, the FFMP will specify biodiversity related procedures, which at a minimum would include, the following: • Pre-clearance and clearance management of vegetation; • Fauna rescue and relocation protocol; • Euthanasia protocol; • Dam decommissioning; • Weed and pathogen control; and • Monitoring and reporting strategies. Biodiversity Development Assessment Report iv | Page écologique Aldington Road Estate, Kemps Creek SSD 17552047 Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements ............................................... 1 1.3 Information sources ........................................................................................ 1 1.4 The proposal ................................................................................................. 2 1.5 Subject land description .................................................................................. 2 1.5 Legislative context ......................................................................................... 1 2. Landscape Context ............................................................................................. 4 2.1 General description ........................................................................................ 4 2.2 Landscape features ......................................................................................... 4 2.2.1 IBRA bioregions and IBRA subregions .............................................................. 4 2.2.2 NSW landscape regions (Mitchell Landscapes) ................................................... 4 2.2.3 Rivers / streams ....................................................................................... 5 2.2.4 Wetlands ................................................................................................ 5 2.2.5 Connectivity ............................................................................................ 5 2.2.6 Geological features ................................................................................... 5 2.2.7 Outstanding biodiversity values .................................................................... 5 2.3 Native vegetation in BDAR assessment area ..........................................................