Golden Beach Gas Project GB Energy (VIC) Pty Ltd 07-Oct-2020 Land Use and Planning Impact Assessment Golden Beach Gas Project EES Technical Report J Revision 0 – 07-Oct-2020 Prepared for – GB Energy (VIC) Pty Ltd – ABN: 63 615 553 010 AECOM Golden Beach Gas Project Land Use and Planning Impact Assessment – Golden Beach Gas Project EES Technical Report J Land Use and Planning Impact Assessment Golden Beach Gas Project EES Technical Report J Client: GB Energy (VIC) Pty Ltd ABN: 63 615 553 010 Prepared by AECOM Australia Pty Ltd Level 10, Tower Two, 727 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3008, Australia T +61 3 9653 1234 F +61 3 9654 7117 www.aecom.com ABN 20 093 846 925 07-Oct-2020 Job No.: Job No 60618281 AECOM in Australia and New Zealand is certified to ISO9001, ISO14001 AS/NZS4801 and OHSAS18001. © AECOM Australia Pty Ltd (AECOM). All rights reserved. AECOM has prepared this document for the sole use of the Client and for a specific purpose, each as expressly stated in the document. 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Revision 0 – 07-Oct-2020 Prepared for – GB Energy (VIC) Pty Ltd – ABN: 63 615 553 010 AECOM Golden Beach Gas Project Land Use and Planning Impact Assessment – Golden Beach Gas Project EES Technical Report J Table of Contents Executive Summary i Overview i Requirement for an EES i Land Use and Planning Context i Existing Conditions ii Key Findings ii Abbreviations iv Glossary v 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose of this Report 1 1.2 Why Understanding Land Use and Planning is Important 1 2.0 EES Scoping Requirements 2 2.1 EES Evaluation Objectives 2 2.2 EES Scoping Requirements 2 3.0 Project Description 5 3.1 Overview of Project and Study Area 5 3.2 Key Construction Activities 7 3.3 Key Operational Activities 7 3.4 Key Decommissioning Activities 7 3.5 Activities Relevant to Land Use and Planning 7 4.0 Legislation, Policy and Guidelines 8 4.1 Legislation and Guidelines 8 4.2 Legislation 10 4.2.1 Commonwealth legislation 10 4.2.2 State legislation 10 4.3 Policy 12 4.3.1 State policy 12 4.3.2 Local policy 24 4.4 Guidelines 26 4.4.1 State guidelines 26 4.4.2 Other guidelines 26 4.5 Land Use and Planning Criteria 26 5.0 Methodology 27 5.1 Overview of Method 27 5.2 Study Area 27 5.3 Existing Conditions 27 5.3.1 Desktop assessment and baseline data review 28 5.3.2 Site visit and consultation 28 5.4 Risk Screening 28 5.5 Impact Assessment 29 5.6 Rationale 29 5.7 Limitations and Assumptions 29 5.8 Stakeholder Engagement 30 5.9 Community Feedback 31 5.10 Linkage to other Technical Reports 31 6.0 Existing Conditions 33 6.1 Regional Context 33 6.1.1 Location 33 6.1.2 Geographical regions and natural assets 33 6.1.3 Transport and access 34 6.1.4 Infrastructure 34 6.2 Study Area and Pipeline Corridor 34 6.2.1 Land uses and typologies 34 6.2.2 Land use segments 35 6.2.3 Likely future development patterns 40 Revision 0 – 07-Oct-2020 Prepared for – GB Energy (VIC) Pty Ltd – ABN: 63 615 553 010 AECOM Golden Beach Gas Project Land Use and Planning Impact Assessment – Golden Beach Gas Project EES Technical Report J 7.0 Risk Assessment 41 8.0 Impact Assessment 42 8.1 Strategic Impact Assessment 42 8.1.1 State and local planning policies 42 8.1.2 Geographical regions and natural assets 42 8.1.3 Transport and access 42 8.1.4 Infrastructure 42 8.1.5 Overall response to strategic land use considerations 43 8.2 Study Area and Pipeline Corridor – Construction Impacts 43 8.2.1 Land use impacts 43 8.2.2 Amenity impacts 45 8.3 Study Area and Pipeline Corridor – Operation Impacts 45 8.3.1 Land use impacts 45 8.3.2 Amenity impacts 46 8.4 Study Area and Pipeline Corridor – Decommissioning 47 8.4.1 Land use impacts 47 8.4.2 Impact 47 8.4.3 Amenity impacts 47 8.5 Cumulative impacts 48 9.0 Environmental Management and Monitoring 49 9.1 Measures to be Undertaken to Minimise Impact 49 9.2 Residual Impacts 50 10.0 Conclusion 51 10.1 Existing Conditions 51 10.2 Impact Assessment 51 Appendix A Mapping A Appendix B Risk assessment B Risk assessment process B-1 Rating Risk B-1 Assigning the consequences of risks B-1 Assigning the likelihood of risks B-2 Risk matrix and risk rating B-2 Risk evaluation and treatment B-2 Assigning consequences of risks – land use and planning B-3 Appendix C Site photos C Revision 0 – 07-Oct-2020 Prepared for – GB Energy (VIC) Pty Ltd – ABN: 63 615 553 010 AECOM Golden Beach Gas Project Land Use and Planning Impact Assessment – Golden Beach Gas Project EES Technical Report J Figures Figure 1 Pipeline location and gas field 6 Figure 2 Golden Beach gas project schematic 6 Figure 3 Wellington Framework Plan (Wellington Planning Scheme, March 2012) 18 Figure 4 Wellington Central Framework Plan (Wellington Planning Scheme, August 2013) 19 Figure 5 Shore crossing facility location 36 Tables Table 1 Scoping Requirements relevant to land use and planning 2 Table 2 Key Legislation and Policy 8 Table 3 Relevant Zones 22 Table 4 Relevant Overlays 23 Table 5 Assumptions and Limitations 30 Table 6 Stakeholder engagement undertaken for land use and planning 30 Table 7 Community consultation feedback addressed by land use and planning 31 Table 8 Land use and planning interdependencies 31 Table 9 Land use typologies throughout the study area 35 Table 10 Land use and planning risks 41 Table 11 Initial Mitigation Measures 49 Table 12 Supporting EES Technical Assessment Mitigation Measures 49 Revision 0 – 07-Oct-2020 Prepared for – GB Energy (VIC) Pty Ltd – ABN: 63 615 553 010 AECOM Golden Beach Gas Project i Land Use and Planning Impact Assessment – Golden Beach Gas Project EES Technical Report J Executive Summary This technical report is an attachment to the Golden Beach Gas Project Environment Effects Statement (EES). It has been used to inform the EES required for the project. Overview GB Energy is an independent Australian company, headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. GB Energy, as operator of retention lease VIC/RL1(V), is proposing to develop the Golden Beach Gas Field located in the Gippsland Basin approximately 3.8 kilometres offshore from the Ninety Mile Beach coastline and close to the Golden Beach township. The field was originally discovered in 1967. The Golden Beach Gas Project (Project) has a narrow footprint, a short construction period, is dealing with very clean, dry gas and is being developed in an area with existing industry activity. No production from the aquifer is intended and no hydrocarbon liquids will be produced. Requirement for an EES The Project was referred to the Minister for Planning (accepted on 7 August 2019 by the Minister) to seek advice on the need for an Environment Effects Statement (EES) under the Environment Effects Act 1978 (Vic) (EE Act). On 8 September 2019, the Minister for Planning issued his decision that an EES is required on the basis that the Project has the potential for a range of significant environmental effects on: • Offshore marine biodiversity values; • Aboriginal cultural heritage values; and • Onshore biodiversity values including Lake Reeve, part of the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar site. On 22 November 2019 under delegated authority from the Minister for the Environment, the Department of the Environment and Energy (now referred to as the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) and herein referred to as such) made a decision that the Project is a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and as such would require assessment and a decision about whether approval should be given under the EPBC Act. The Minister considered that the Project would be likely to have a significant impact on the following: • Ramsar wetlands; • Listed threatened species and communities; and • Listed migratory species. DAWE also confirmed the Victorian Government’s advice that the Project will be assessed under a bilateral agreement under the EE Act. The EES allows stakeholders to understand the likely environmental impacts of the Project and how they are proposed to be managed. The Minister’s assessment of the EES will also inform statutory decisions that need to be made on the Project. The EES was developed in consultation with the community and stakeholders. AECOM Australia Pty Ltd was commissioned to undertake a land use and planning impact assessment to inform the EES. Land Use and Planning Context The EES scoping requirements issued by the Minister for Planning, set out the specific environmental matters to be investigated and documented in the Project’s EES, which informs the scope of the EES technical studies.