Bushfire presents a major risk to the Greater Bendigo and the risk of bushfire varies across the study area, determined by the topography of land in relation to the location and type of nearby vegetation. Generally, the greatest bushfire hazard will be from vegetation located to the north and north-west of any given site.

Having experienced significant bushfires in the past, and as required by state planning policy as the entire study area is within the Bushfire Prone Area, the strategy will strengthen the resilience of settlements and communities to bushfire through risk-based planning that prioritises the protection of human life.

A number of key issues have been identified, including:

• Some areas of significant bushfire risk are not currently identified within the Bendigo Planning Scheme, meaning rural development can be proposed in areas subject to higher risk than currently documented within the planning system.
• Significant clusters of Rural Living Zone (RLZ) Land are located within the Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) and are unlikely to be appropriate for future development, such as land located along Strathfieldsaye Road, within Emu Creek, land around Lockwood, and land north of Mount Camel.
• High risk bushfire areas surround the City of Bendigo which limits its ability to grow outwards. This in turn places pressure on rural areas to provide alternate low risk locations to cater for future growth.
• In locations where there is high tree density, there is generally also higher biodiversity value. It is necessary to manage bushfire level risk without unacceptable biodiversity impacts. However acceptable levels of biodiversity impact are not defined.
• Unmanaged rural properties can increase risk of ember attack across the municipality through the presence of increased fuel loads such as dense grasslands and dead vegetation that is not actively managed.

A number of key opportunities have been identified, including:

• A contemporary bushfire study is currently underway, where is conclusions and recommendations will need to inform and be embedded in this Rural Areas Strategy (RAS) as the drafting is progressed.
• Consider the expansion or consolidation of small rural townships in relation to their associated bushfire risk.
• Consider the net developable land supply within the RLZ when real world constraints such as bushfire are accounted for.
• There are a number of established rural settlement areas that are at risk of bushfire impact such as Raywood, Lockwood, Axedale and Heathcote. There is an opportunity to consolidate these at risk areas and implement controls to increase their bushfire resilience.
• The scope of the RAS means that most rural areas are being considered in terms of land use, settlement and long term vision. Considering bushfire alongside this work enables a more holistic study of the overall conditions of the area.

A number of potential strategies have been identified, including:

• Consolidate settlement areas where there is significant bushfire risk and discourage further development where risks cannot be appropriately mitigated or managed.
• Investigate the current extent of the application of the RLZ in relation to existing bushfire risks to determine the most appropriate zoning for these locations.
• Review existing agricultural land management practices to determine whether farmland can be better maintained to reduce fire risk.