Whenever a boundary is altered (made smaller or changed) in a residential or rural residential area planning controls for subdivision is required (if two or more existing lots are consolidated this is not considered a subdivision).
Any proposals involving schools, hospitals, bed and breakfast accommodation, eco-tourism, housing for older people, retirement villages, childcare centres, music festivals are considered particularly vulnerable during bushfires and are therefore required to meet some specific requirements. In particular, an emergency/evacuation plan is considered an important component of the strategy to plan for any bushfire risk. The consent authority is the local council but only after the RFS has issued a BUSHFIRE SAFETY AUTHORITY.