Native Vegetation Precinct Plan

Transcription

1 Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan MAY

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3 ARMSTRONG CREEK NORTH EAST INDUSTRIAL PRECINCT NATIVE VEGETATION PRECINCT PLAN May 2010 ARMSTRONG CREEK NORTH EAST INDUSTRIAL PRECINCT NATIVE VEGETATION PRECINCT PLAN This is the North East Industrial Precinct NEIP) - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan listed under the Schedule to Clause of the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme. The NEIP - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan applies to all land shown in Figure 1, including the narrow strips of land proposed for the drainage outlets. Figure 1 next page) Area to which the plan applies Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

4 Proposed location of drainage structure Precinct boundary Figure 1 Location of the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan - NVPP Study area 0 400

5 1.0 Purpose The purpose of the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan is to: specify the native vegetation to be protected and the native vegetation that can be removed, destroyed or lopped; ensure that areas set aside to protect native vegetation are managed to conserve ecological values in accordance with the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan; ensure that the removal, destruction or lopping of any native vegetation specified to be protected is consistent with conserving the ecological values of these areas and is in accordance with the three-step approach to net gain as set out in Victoria s Native Vegetation Management a Framework for Action NRE 2). set out the works or other necessary actions required to offset the removal, destruction or lopping of native vegetation. streamline the planning approvals process through a landscape approach to native vegetation protection and management; 1.1 Vegetation protection objective to be achieved Within the Precinct Currently the majority of the land within the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan is dominated by introduced and planted flora species, and there are no habitat zones or scattered trees Ecology Partners, August 8 - Keystone Business Precinct Structure Plan: Technical Background Report: Flora and Fauna), as defined in Victoria s Native Vegetation Management a Framework for Action NRE 2). However there are several scattered indigenous shrubs and several locations where indigenous ground cover species are present, but indigenous flora species do not constitute more than 25% of the total groundcover. There are also several farm dams, including one large dam in the north east corner. The protection/offset strategy within the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan is to revegetate an area immediately to the north of the Precinct boundary. All of the native vegetation within the NEIP is considered removed in order to undertake the proposed development. Adjacent to the Precinct As indicated in Figure 1 there are nine 9) proposed drainage outlets, which vary in width and length from approximately 12 metres to 20 metres and 160 metres to 0 metres, respectively, that exit the Precinct and traverse the immediately adjacent floodplain. Based on an ecological assessment Ecology Partners, September 9 - Keystone Business Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

6 Precinct Structure Plan; Technical Background Report: Flora and Fauna. Ecological values within the adjacent floodplain), native vegetation remnants were documented as occurring scattered throughout this area. Some of the proposed drainage outlets will require the disturbance of a narrow strip of native vegetation and it is proposed that the loss of this vegetation will be offset by the protection of native vegetation in each land parcel, where the vegetation loss occurs. 2.0 The native vegetation to be protected It should be noted that there are no habitat zones or scattered trees located within the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, and all of the indigenous shrubs and scattered remnant indigenous ground cover species are considered removed. Although located outside of the Precinct boundary, remnant vegetation occurs on the floodplain and when the proposed drainage outlets are constructed, it is proposed that native vegetation in each land parcel will be protected, in accordance with an approved Offset Plan/s Refer Figure 2, page 9). 3.0 The native vegetation which can be removed, destroyed or lopped. Within the Precinct The native vegetation described in Tables 1 and 2, and shown in Figure 2 can be removed, destroyed or lopped, subject to the requirements and conditions set out in Section 5.0 The works, payment or other actions necessary to offset the removal, destruction or lopping of native vegetation. All native vegetation is considered removed in order to construct the proposed development. Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

7 Table 1: Areas of remnant indigenous species which can be removed Refer Figure 2) Property Address including Title Number) Habitat Area EVC name Size ha) CA 23 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre) Sparrowvale Road Lot 1 TP 23987, Parish of Conewarre) CA 13 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre) Scattered indigenous groundcovers Scattered indigenous groundcovers Scattered indigenous groundcovers Formerly Cane-grass Lignum Halophytic Herbland 0.71 Formerly Plains Grassy 0.12 Formerly Plains Grassy 0.48 Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

8 Table 2: Scattered shrubs which can be removed Refer Figure 2) Property Address including Title Number) Tree ID Species and number lost EVC name Co-ordinates and numbers of plants if >1) X Latitude, Y Longitude) N/A Black Wattle 1) N/A Golden Wattle 2) Sparrowvale Road Lot 1 TP 23987, Parish of Conewarre) N/A Blackwood 20) N/A Hedge Wattle 23) Formerly Plains Grassy Formerly Plains Grassy Formerly Plains Grassy Formerly Plains Grassy ) ) ) ) ) Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

9 Adjacent to the Precinct Although located outside of the Precinct boundary, narrow strips of remnant vegetation are proposed to be cleared when the drainage outlets are constructed Refer Tables 3 and 5, and Figure 2 for locations of remnants within the drainage outlets). This includes the following; Table 3: Habitat Zones which can be removed Refer Figure 2) Property Address Property Number) Habitat Zone EVC no & name Size PSWe1 PSWe 647) hectares) 0.44 FRW1 FRW 56) 0.23 BLS1 BLS 947) 0.1 SM2 SM 9) 0.16 BH1 BH 538) 0.48 FRW1 FRW 56) 0.23 SM2 SM 9) 0.27 FRW1 FRW 56) 0.06 BLS1 BLS 947) 0.03 FRW1 FRW 56) 0.01 FRW1 FRW 56) 0.01 BLS2 BLS 947) 0.1 FRW2 FRW 56) 0.04 SM1 SM 9) 0.14 FRW1 FRW 56) 0.02 SM1 SM 9) 0.12 FRW1 FRW 56) 0.01 Notes: SM = Saltmarsh; FRW = Floodplain Riparian ; BLS = Brackish Lignum Swamp; BH = Brackish Herbland; PSWe = Plains Sedgy Wetland. Table 4 below details the appropriate property information, which is referenced in Table 3. Table 4: Relevant Property Numbers, Title Numbers and Addresses Property Number Property Address Property Title Number Lot 2 LP , Parish of Conewarre Lot 1 PS , Parish of Conewarre 36 CA 25 Sec 1 Parish of Conewarre 25 CA 9 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre 15 Pt CA 10 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre 18 Lot 1 TP , Parish of Conewarre Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

10 Table 5: Scattered shrubs which can be removed Refer Figure 2) Property Address Tree ID Species and number lost N/A Hedge Wattle 9) N/A Tangled Lignum 1) EVC name Formerly Plains Grassy Formerly Plains Grassy Co-ordinates and numbers of plants if >1) X Latitude, Y Longitude) ) Native vegetation to be protected and removed. 1. Native vegetation to be protected Refer Figure 2). There are no areas proposed to be protected within the Precinct, but an area immediately to the north of the Precinct boundary is proposed to be an offset site, in order to offset all vegetation losses within the Precinct. Further, after the drainage outlets have been built in the adjacent floodplain, all the retained native vegetation is proposed to be protected, in order to offset vegetation losses from the proposed construction of the drainage outlets Refer Figure 2 for a complete map of the native vegetation within the floodplain). 2. Native vegetation which can be removed Refer Figure 2). All of the native vegetation/species may be removed from the Precinct by the developer without permit subject to the offsets requirements specified in the NVPP. 3. Any areas of land required to protect native vegetation. An area immediately to the north of the Precinct boundary, on the banks of the floodplain, is proposed to be an offset site, and is located at , 111, and , Refer Figure 2), and the retained native vegetation in the floodplain is also proposed to be protected Refer Figure 2). 4. Areas containing no native vegetation: Refer Figure 2). The areas of no native vegetation are mapped on Figure Areas where native vegetation has not been assessed Refer Figure 2). These areas of no access have been mapped on Figure 2. Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

11 Property boundary With relevant property number) Precinct boundary No access No native vegetation Negotiated offset Offset planting site Vegetation patch to be removed Shrub to be removed Areas of scattered and isolated common indigenous flora species, but mostly introduced flora species are present, and therefore these areas do not meet DSE thresholds for native vegetation o % & w Trees & Shrubs Black Wattle Blackwood Golden Wattle Hedge Wattle Tangled Lignum Figure 2 Vegetation to be removed within the precinct & drainage lines 0 Vegetation patches Brackish Herbland BH) Brackish Lignum Swamp BLS) Floodplain Reedbed FR) Floodplain Riparian FRW) Plains Grassy PGW) Plains Sedgy Wetland PSWe) Saltmarsh SM) Spiny Peppercross SP) w & & % o

12 5.0 The works, payment or other actions necessary to offset the removal, destruction or lopping of native vegetation The following requirements set out the general conditions for meeting offset requirements: Prior to the removal, destruction or lopping of any native vegetation including dead native vegetation an Offset Plan concerning the land must be prepared in accordance with Tables 6, 7 and 8 of the incorporated North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan to the satisfaction of the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the responsible authority. A planning permit must not be granted for drainage works outside of the Precinct boundary until the Offset Plan in accordance with this document has been prepared to the satisfaction of the Department of Sustainability and Environment and approved by the Responsible Authority; The landowner must enter into an agreement with the Responsible Authority which provides for the management and on-going protection of the offset sites, in accordance with the approved Offset Plan and must include, as appropriate: o the Offset Plan; o the on-going land use commitments and actions to manage the offset primarily for protection of the native vegetation values in perpetuity; o specification of the identity of the responsible monitoring authority and the reporting responsibilities of the land owner; and, o specification of the terms in which the responsible authority can visit and monitor the site. If the Offset Plan varies from the offset strategy, proposed changes will need to be to the satisfaction of the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the approval of the Responsible Authority. Offsets will generally be in accordance with the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan Background Reports Ecology Partners, August 8 - Keystone Business Precinct Structure Plan: Technical Background Report: Flora and Fauna, Ecology Partners, September 9 - Keystone Business Precinct Structure Plan; Technical Background Report: Flora and Fauna. Ecological values within the adjacent floodplain and Ecology Partners, May North East Industrial Precinct: Growling Grass Frog Conservation Management Plan), and be to the satisfaction of the Department of Sustainability and Environment and approved by the Responsible Authority. Offsets must commence within one year of the approval of the Offset Plan except for Very High Conservation Significance vegetation where initiation of the Offset Plan must commence prior to vegetation removal. Implementation must be completed according to the schedule of works in the Offset Plan, to the satisfaction of the Responsible Authority. Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

13 Offsets for vegetation clearance within the Precinct Within the NEIP Precinct Structure Plan - Native Vegetation Precinct Plan there are no formal offset requirements, as there are no habitat zones and/or scattered indigenous trees. However, there are scattered indigenous ground cover species and some indigenous shrubs which are proposed to be removed, and these have been offset according to Tables 6 and 7, as the Net Gain policy states that avoid and minimise must be considered and any vegetation losses are to be offset Victoria s Native Vegetation Management a Framework for Action NRE 2). In order to simplify the informal offset arrangement, shrub losses are proposed to be offset by planting 5 times the number of shrubs lost into the proposed offset site, and the areas of indigenous ground cover species are proposed to be offset by revegetating and managing the proposed offset site. All offset works will be undertaken according to an Offset Plan that will be prepared to the satisfaction the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the approval of the Responsible Authority. Table 6: Offset requirements for areas of remnant indigenous ground cover species that may be removed Property Address including Title Number) Habitat Area hectares) EVC name Conservation Significance Loss Area hectares) Net Gain Multiplier Gain Target area) Offset to be achieved hectares) Tannery Road CA 23 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre) Sparrowvale Road Lot 1 TP 23987, Parish of Conewarre) CA 13 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre) 0.71 Formerly Cane-grass Lignum Halophytic Herbland 0.12 Formerly Plains Grassy 0.48 Formerly Plains Grassy N/A 0.71 N/A ~0.50 of revegetation N/A 0.12 N/A ~0.10 of revegetation N/A 0.48 N/A ~0.40 of revegetation Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

14 Table 7: Offset required for scattered shrubs which can be removed Property Address including Title Number) EVC name Conservation Significance Loss: no of VLOTs incl tree number) Loss: no of LOTs incl tree number) Loss: no of MOTs incl tree no.) Loss : no of Shrubs Offset to be achieved Recruitment/ Revegetation Target no. of shrubs)are * Sparrow-vale Road Sparrowvale Road Lot 1 TP 23987, Parish of Conewarre) Formerly Plains Grassy Formerly Plains Grassy Formerly Plains Grassy Formerly Plains Grassy * = for shrub losses outside of the Precinct N/A N/A N/A N/A 1 5 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 20 Offsets for vegetation clearance outside of the Precinct. Based on the proposed vegetation losses associated with the construction of drainage outlets, there is a requirement to generate a total of 1.61 habitat hectares from the Otway Plain Bioregion in order to offset vegetation losses Table 8). At this stage Offset Management Plans have not been prepared for proposed native vegetation losses outside of the Precinct for drainage outlets), but the intention is to offset the proposed vegetation losses by protecting remnant vegetation, which will also address the Net Gain like for like criteria. Based on the assessment of the floodplain adjacent to the Precinct Ecology Partners, September 9 - Keystone Business Precinct Structure Plan; Technical Background Report: Flora and Fauna. Ecological values within the adjacent floodplain), there are approximately 42 hectares of native vegetation located within the floodplain, which can be protected in order to contribute to the Net Gain targets. All offset works will be undertaken according to an Offset Plan that will be prepared to the satisfaction of the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the approval of the Responsible Authority. Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

15 Table 8: Offset requirements for Habitat Zone for native vegetation that may be removed for drainage outlets) Habitat Hectares Target Property Number; Hab. Zone Target No. Conservation Significance Target EVC and No Total Losses in Habitat Ha Net Gain Multiplier* Net Gain Target Habitat Ha) - PSWe1 Very High PSWe 647) FRW1 High FRW 56) BLS1 High BLS 947) SM2 Very High SM 9) BH1 High BH 538) FRW1 High FRW 56) SM2 Very High SM 9) FRW1 High FRW 56) BLS1 High BLS 947) FRW1 High FRW 56) FRW1 High FRW 56) BLS2 Very High BLS 947) FRW2 Very High FRW 56) SM1 High SM 9) FRW1 High FRW 56) SM1 High SM 9) FRW1 High FRW 56) Total 1.61 Notes: SM = Saltmarsh; FRW = Floodplain Riparian ; BLS = Brackish Lignum Swamp; BH = Brackish Herbland; PSWe = Plains Sedgy Wetland; Table 9 below details the appropriate property information, which is referenced in Table 8. Table 9: Relevant Property Numbers, Title Numbers and Addresses Property Number Property Address Property Title Number Lot 2 LP , Parish of Conewarre Lot 1 PS , Parish of Conewarre 36 CA 25 Sec 1 Parish of Conewarre 25 CA 9 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre 15 Pt CA 10 Sec 1, Parish of Conewarre 18 Lot 1 TP , Parish of Conewarre Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

16 6.0 Conditions and requirement for permits All earthworks must be undertaken in a manner that will minimise soil erosion and adhere to Construction Techniques for Sediment Pollution Control EPA 1991). No grazing may occur on native vegetation and/or the offset to be protected unless it is permitted by an Offset Management Plan approved by the Responsible Authority). Soil must not be stockpiled on native vegetation or the offset that is to be protected. Only indigenous plants of local provenance may be used in revegetation works. Any native vegetation to be removed in accordance with this Native Vegetation Precinct Plan) must be clearly marked on site. Prior to commencement of any works during the construction phase, a highly visible vegetation protection fence must be erected around twice the canopy of any scattered tree and more than 2 metres from native vegetated areas identified to be protected. The placement of fill must be designed to ensure that it does not compromise native vegetation/or the offset to be protected. Water run-off must be designed to ensure that native vegetation/or the offset to be protected is not compromised. 7.0 Procedures for the collection of any payments The Offset Management Plan must also set out all payments/costs associated with proposed protection and/or management of the offset site. 8.0 Reference Documents 8.1 Ecology Partners, August 8. Keystone Business Precinct Structure Plan: Technical Background Report: Flora and Fauna. Ecology Partners for David Lock Associates) 8.2 Ecology Partners, September 9. Keystone Business Precinct Structure Plan; Technical Background Report: Flora and Fauna. Ecological values within the adjacent floodplain Ecology Partners for Capella Pacific). 8.3 Ecology Partners, May North East Industrial Precinct: Growling Grass Frog Conservation Management Plan. Ecology Partners for Nu Vue Property Group) 8.4 NRE 2. Victoria's Native Vegetation Management: A Framework for Action. Department of Natural Resources & Environment, Victoria 8.5 EPA Construction Techniques for Sediment Pollution Control. Environment Protection Authority, Victoria. Armstrong Creek North East Industrial Precinct Native Vegetation Precinct Plan, May

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