Page 4 - Best Of Local Mag May 2023 Edition

The Moreton

Bay backyard

fire could soon

be back.

Community consultation is underway as The draft wording after initial community minimal disruption to surrounding
Moreton Bay Regional Council initiates consultation is as follows: residents and neighbourhood
certain changes to local laws in relation amenity.
to the Community Standard for Private Allowing recreational backyard fires and
Land, Public Land and Roads and Waste firepits on private land if the following Allowing the lighting of open fires (i.e.
Management. requirements are complied with: not in a fireplace, firepit or brazier) on
properties that are 3000m2 or more,
One of the proposed changes to private • fire is lit and maintained in a fireplace,
land usage is to allow recreational firepit or brazier constructed and changed from 3001m2. On those
backyard fires, removing the current maintained to prevent escape of fire properties, open fires can continue to be lit
prescribed ‘cooking only’ condition. and will be subject to the same conditions
or burning material currently required by Subordinate Local
• fire is lit with the consent of the
The current local law on residential fires Law No.3 Community and Environmental
states the following: property owner/occupier Management 2011 (to be repealed).
• fire is fuelled by clean and dry
Lighting or maintaining a fire outdoors is combustible material (excludes You may still have to get out the snags
prohibited on an allotment of 3000 square material that is typically toxic, like this winter
metres or less unless the fire is contained painted timber, plastics, solvents etc.)
in a properly prepared barbeque or similar • outer edges of the fireplace, firepit You’ll still have to get out the snags this
cooking apparatus using clean and dry or brazier are at least 2.5 metres winter though, as the current timeline
combustible material for the purpose of from any land boundary (including suggests the proposed changes will not
cooking food for human consumption. property boundaries shared with be adopted by Council until later this year.
neighbours and street boundaries),
building, structure (e.g. sheds) and You can have your say as well as read the
vegetation proposed changes to private land local
• fire does not pose an unreasonable laws and draft Brazier, Fireplace and Fire
fire hazard. A fire hazard means risk of Pit Guidelines here - https://yoursay.
flames coming into contact with and moretonbay.qld.gov.au/local-laws-
causing burns to a person or causing review/proposed-community-standards-
damage to property. The proposed private-land-local-law
Local Law does not regulate smoke
nuisance. That will continue to be
regulated under the Environmental
Protection Act 1994.
• Council has prepared draft Brazier,
Fireplace and Fire Pit Guidelines
to help residents safely enjoy
recreational fires, whilst ensuring