Summary
- The main priority when planning for bushfire is the protection of human life
- Bushfire risk and hazards needs to be considered in all strategic planning proposals
- Development of new settlements should be directed to locations of lower bushfire risk
- Avoid development in locations of extreme bushfire risk
- Avoid development in areas where planned bushfire protection measures may be incompatible with other environmental objectives
- Design to reduce the risk of bushfire and to reduce loss of life, improve community resilience and enable emergency response.
What is strategic planning for bushfire
The protection of human life is at the heart of all strategic planning decisions. Considering bushfire hazards and risk within strategic planning proposals is key to building more resilient and safer communities.
Strategic planning proposals can include:
- Settlement, structure and land-use framework plans.
- Planning scheme amendments that alter policies, zones and overlays in bushfire areas, including the Bushfire Prone Area (BPA) and Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO).
- The development of strategies and land use planning reviews.
- Policy development and updates.
CFA's role in strategic planning
CFA is often consulted as part of the strategic planning process, particularly in the preparation of planning scheme amendments to ensure bushfire risk is considered at a strategic level. CFA also provides advice in relation to land use strategies and structure plans.
General principles to follow
CFA encourages using the following general principles to guide the development of strategic planning proposals, in order to protect human life:
- Direct development to locations of lower bushfire risk
- Carefully consider development in locations where there is significant bushfire risk that cannot be avoided
- Avoid development in locations of extreme bushfire risk
- Avoid development in areas where planned bushfire protection measures may be incompatible with other environmental objectives
- Design out risk and for reduction, resilience and response
Bushfire planning policies
Planning Victoria sets out bushfire planning policies and regulations.
Key Planning Controls which apply to strategic planning for bushfire are:
This clause ensures that planning and responsible authorities must prioritise the protection of human life over all other policy considerations in bushfire affected areas.
This objective of this clause is to strengthen the resilience of settlements and communities to bushfire through risk-based planning that prioritises the protection of human life.
Any strategic planning proposal should address the following policy areas:
- landscape bushfire considerations
- alternative locations for development
- availability of safer areas
- access and egress options
- site-based exposure
- areas of high biodiversity conservation value
- risk increase
More information on planning schemes and relevant planning policy can be found at Planning Victoria.
Page last updated: Wednesday, 23 September 2026 2:38:54 PM