Landslip Risk AssessmentBaw Baw

A varied landscape, not a single slope condition

Warragul sits in rolling country between the Great Dividing Range and the Strzelecki Ranges. Conditions vary across the wider municipality, and the planning scheme recognises landslip susceptibility in parts of the Shire.

A locality name or broad terrain description does not establish whether a proposed building, access track or excavation affects an unstable slope. The development location and its relationship to the surrounding land remain important.

Geotechnical Assessment and further LRA

The EMO schedule’s application requirements include site and surrounds plans, a Geotechnical Assessment and a Geotechnical Declaration and Verification Form, subject to the schedule’s qualifications. The Geotechnical Assessment must address the proposal in its ground setting and conclude whether a Landslip Risk Assessment is required.

A further LRA is required where the assessment or other landform information indicates evidence of possible or past landsliding on or immediately adjacent to the site, or where Council considers the Geotechnical Assessment insufficient to establish that the development will not adversely increase landslip risk to life or property.

A Geotechnical Assessment is therefore not automatically a full LRA, but neither should it be treated as a simple administrative check. Its conclusions need supporting evidence. Council may require an independent review of submitted assessments.

Why land outside the building footprint matters

The schedule requires consideration of the subject site and related land. Its site and surrounds information includes adjacent development, water tanks and dams, cut and fill, drainage, wastewater infrastructure and identified geotechnical hazards.

This wider view is relevant where a proposal alters a slope, drainage or retaining arrangement near a boundary. A flat building pad alone does not describe the ground above and below it, or the works needed to reach and service it.

Apply exemptions with their full qualifications

Baw Baw’s schedule contains exemptions for particular buildings and works. Its slope-related provision uses a defined ‘impacted area’ that extends beyond the point of soil disturbance. It should not be reduced to a slope measurement at the proposed footing or house pad.

Other exemptions depend on the type and details of the work, such as size, materials or changes to drainage. The schedule also identifies particular subdivision applications that do not need the listed geotechnical documents to accompany them. An exemption from one requirement does not settle every other planning requirement.

Council may waive a full Geotechnical Assessment where a suitably qualified and experienced practitioner demonstrates that it is not relevant to the application. The practitioner provides the supporting case; Council decides whether that waiver is appropriate.

Check the map against the proposed works

Generate a current planning property report in VicPlan and open the linked EMO schedule. Compare it with a plan showing the development, access, earthworks, retaining walls and drainage. Include any relevant Council correspondence and earlier geotechnical reports when seeking advice on the required assessment.