Amendment C229 - Southern Brown Bandicoot habitat protection

Which properties would be affected by the amendment?

All land within the Urban Growth Boundary of Garfield and Bunyip, and all land zoned for urban purposes within Tynong.

The amendment mainly affects new developments and subdivisions in the 3 townships.

Why are we proposing this change?

The Southern Brown Bandicoot (SBB) is an endangered marsupial under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and is also protected by the Victorian Government Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act).

We engaged Ecology Australia to help develop  an overlay to protect and enhance the SBB’s habitat.

Cardinia Shire is home to a large SBB population in the former Koo Wee Rup Swamp area which comprises four smaller sub-populations in Dalmore-Koo Wee Rup, Bayles, Cardinia-Rythdale, and Garfield-Longwarry.

The SBB live in thick vegetation including native vegetation, exotic long grass and prickly dense weeds (including blackberries). This habitat  protects them from predators such as cats and foxes.

Threats to the SBB include:

• being eaten
• being hit by cars
• loss of habitat and corridor fragmentation (through the clearing of native and exotic vegetation)
• new urban infrastructure such as solid fences blocking their movements between habitat areas.

Recent developments in the townships of Bunyip, Garfield and Tynong have resulted in inconsistent planning permit requirements and outcomes to protect the SBB.

A number of developers have cleared all Bandicoot habitat on a site by site basis, therefore creating gaps in the SBB movement corridors.

The current ad hoc pattern of subdivisions has led to some properties having no or inadequate provision of habitat for the species, while other properties have variable width corridors and inconsistent management requirements.

Without a holistic approach to create and preserve SBB habitat, they are likely to become extinct locally.

What changes are proposed to the Cardinia Planning Scheme?

Amendment C229 seeks to:

• insert a new Schedule 7 to Clause 42.01 Environmental Significance Overlay.
• amend the Schedule to Clause 66.04 - Referral of Permit Applications Under Local Provisions, to include the Secretary to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) as a recommending referral authority under the ESO7.
• amends Planning Scheme Map No.s 20-24ESO.

View the proposed amendment

View proposed Amendment C229 to the Cardinia Planning Scheme on the DELWP website.

Next steps

Council must consider all submissions as part of the amendment process.

If concerns cannot be resolved by making changes to the amendment, Council may refer submissions to an independent planning panel (appointed by the Minister for Planning) for review.

The planning panel will review each submission individually and provide a report with recommendations to Council and the Minister for Planning.

Preset hearing dates have been set:

• Directions Hearing: Week starting Monday 18 February 2019
• Panel Hearing: Week starting Monday 18 March 2019

We will provide confirmed dates and details of any planning panel hearing to those who make a submission.

More information

Contact our Strategic Planning Team on 1300 787 624 or via mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au.