New South Wales should not have to halt development while the royal commission into the Victorian tragedies takes place, Aaron Gadiel, CEO of Urban Taskforce, said.
The NSW Local Government and Shires Association has called for development to be halted while the royal commission into the Victorian bushfire tragedy takes place.
However, there is no need for a “blanket ban” on development applications, the Urban Taskforce said.
“NSW specific rules require new developments to withstand bush fire attack in the form of wind, smoke, embers, radiant heat and flame contact,” Gadiel said.
While NSW rules assume that when a bushfire hits a house the average flame temperature is 1,090 Kelvin (817 degrees Celsius), Victoria has assumed a lower flame temperature of 1,000 Kelvin (727 degrees Celsius).
There was “no evidence” that NSW’s bushfire standards were inadequate, Gadiel claimed.
The 1,000 Kelvin rating is included in the proposed draft national building code, which is being considered next month by the Australian Building Codes Board. If approved, the rules will be included in every state and territory building act.
