Vegetation Offset for Rosewood Rural Residential Estate

The Challenge:

Hanlons was engaged to obtain consen to modify an existing development consent for a 40 lot rural residential subdivision. The original ecology report was 10 years old and not compliant with current legislation and national species listings. The resulting assessment identified the triggering of thresholds set under the Commonwealth's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The site had been assessed as an Critically Endangered Ecological Community (CEEC) under the Matters of National Environmental Significance. Assessment of options to offset the loss or critical Grassy White Box Woodland was a significant part of this project.   

The Solution:

Hanlons Consulting provided surveying, contract management and project management services to the client.

In August 2013, Mitchel Hanlon Consulting (MHC) engaged Niche Environment and Heritage (Niche) to re-do the ecological assessment of the site. Niche conducted the preliminary assessment and found that the CEEC was localised to the eastern half of the site only. Discussions with the department enabled the referral to be split which allowed the development to progress on the western side of the site while the eastern side was subject to more vigorous assessment.

This approach allowed the client to finalise the development of 22 lots on the western side of the site and satisfy outstanding sales contracts.  The remaining eastern section was developed in a manner sympathetic to the Box-Gum Ecological Community by establishing a 80 ha offset on one of the lots. This required a Management Plan and a funding payment to the Nature Conservation Trust. Future landholders can access these funds to undertake works in accordance with the management plan.