The fires will have a profound effect on the way Canberra is planned and developed – and not just in the suburbs that are rebuilt.
Four major studies will look at lessons to be learned from the fires and future land uses.
This month a discussion paper resulted from the Non-Urban Study. It suggested a range of possible sustainable uses of non-urban land, such as the rural areas, nature reserves and national parks. It will include suggestions about the burnt-out Stromlo area, including the possibility of residential development there. Before the fires, that was not a possibility. The study, which will be completed in October, will also make recommendations about the future of pine plantations.
The Urban Edge Review will look at design standards and guidelines, and management approaches for Canberra’s urban edge. The urban edge is the land that abuts the metropolitan area, and open spaces that link the urban interface with the residential areas, such as roadways. The review will assess whether any areas should be declared bushfire-prone.
ACT Forests Business Case will look at plantation forestry in the ACT.
The ACT Five Year Recreation Strategy will look at the restoration of recreation facilities damaged by the fires.
The Non-Urban Study and the Urban Edge Review will look at whether any fire abatement zones need to be declared and put into the Canberra Spatial Plan, which is already broadly examining land use in Canberra. They will also contribute to a set of bushfire protection planning principles.
The ACT Planning and Land Authority has already developed a set of fencing guidelines that deal with fire-prevention.
The bushfire studies will identify ways to reduce bushfire risk through the way land is managed, what it is used for and how it is used in the context of the surrounding area. They will also look at ways to educate the public about bushfire risk.
All the studies will be used to continue to develop the Spatial Plan, due for release early next year. The Spatial Plan will set out a spatial framework for the future development of Canberra (the what goes where, when, how and why for Canberra) over 25-30 years. It is part of the Canberra Plan, which includes an Economic White Paper and a Social Plan.
The Spatial Plan will also draw on the findings of two other strategies: the ACT Water Strategy for guiding the management of ACT water resources, and the ACT Lowland Woodland Conservation Strategy which identifies viable and well-represented ecological systems for conservation.
The Spatial Plan was in the pipeline before the fires. Since the fires ACTPLA has ensured that lessons from the fires are now incorporated into it.