MBRC Planning Scheme - Environmental offsets and receiving areas

What are environmental offsets?

Environmental offsets compensate for unavoidable impacts on significant environmental matters that can occur as a result of land development, including earthworks and vegetation clearing. The requirements of applying for an environmental offset can be found in the Queensland Environmental Offsets Policy.

Environmental offsets do not replace or undermine existing regulatory requirements, and are not used to allow development in areas otherwise deemed inappropriate through the planning scheme.

Environmental offsets are only considered when efforts to avoid, minimise or mitigate negative environmental impacts have been thoroughly exhausted. Environmental offsets are to achieve an equivalent or better outcome for the environmental values under consideration.

For more information on environmental offsets, please refer to Planning scheme policy - Environmental areas and corridors (Schedule 6)(PDF, 11MB).

When are environmental offsets required?

Environmental offsets are required where clearing of native vegetation cannot be avoided in areas identified as 'Value Offset Areas' on the Environmental areas overlay map. 

Value Offset Areas are recognised as being:

  1. Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES) Koala Offsets (State mapping under the South East Queensland Koala Conservation State Planning Regulatory provisions);
  2. Matters of Local Environmental Significance (MLES) waterway buffer; and
  3. Matters of Local Environmental Significance (MLES) wetland buffer.

Environmental offsets map example

High Value Area Value Offset Area
Matters of State environmental significance legend MSES - Matters of State Environmental Significance
Matters of Local environmental significance legend MLES - Matters of Local Environmental Significance
Wetlands legend MLES - Wetlands
 Koala offsets legend MSES - Koala Offsets
Waterway buffer legend MLES Waterway Buffer
Wetland buffer legend MLES - Wetland Buffer

Environmental offset receiving areas overlay map

The Environmental offset receiving areas overlay map represents the region's key ecological corridors that are the major pathways for wildlife in our region. There are no planning scheme requirements associated with the Environmental offset receiving overlay map. The Environmental offset receiving overlay map is an information overlay only. The environmental offset receiving overlay map identifies Council's preferred locations for land-based and advanced environmental offsets.

For more information on Environmental offset receiving areas, please refer to Planning scheme policy - Environmental areas and corridors(PDF, 11MB).

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