Positioning

Best practice guidance for the placement and arrangement of embellishments

Site setout

Park users

Design planting to create opportunities for passive as well as active spaces, that are welcoming, legible, robust and comfortable.

Orientation

Locate planting to provide shade and shelter to park embellishments, shelter from winter winds and exposure to summer breezes.
Frame vistas and views.
Soften structures.
Integrate with surrounding land uses at an appropriate scale.
Use earth mounding to achieve buffer zones and acoustic separation.

Clarify entry

Define entry and exit points to assist with wayfinding.

Safety

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles apply.

Vegetation

Position tree guards to provide protection for establishing trees in high vandalism areas.
Tree planting must maintain minimum clearances to comply with service providers guidance. Landscaping plants within these clearances must be low growing when mature, and consist of suitable approved varieties.

Considerations for deck mowers

Where landscaping is provided adjacent to/adjoining drop-offs, slopes over 15 degrees, water, roads, electricity and other critical risks, a risk assessment must be undertaken. The risk assessment must be carried out by a suitably qualified professional, and barriers or other treatments must be provided to mitigate critical risks.

Avoid the necessity of using push lawn mowers by ensuring sufficient width for a ride-on deck mower to access a turfed area to carry out mowing maintenance.
Clearance area requirements include provision of sufficient space and room to manoeuvre ride on mowers, with the use of smooth flowing lines to allow machinery to manoeuvre around assets.
Consider the maximum grade for deck mowers. Turf slopes should be no greater than 15 degrees to allow for safe maintenance.
Lateral clearances from any obstacles provides safe width for deck mower operation and turning.
Height clearances provide the deck mower operator with a safe unobstructed operation envelope. Refer to manufacturer specifications.
To avoid scouring and damaging deck mowers, ensure turf finishes flush with the level height of hardscape infrastructure such as concrete paths.
2.5 m clear area is required (where possible) beside a pathway, concrete slab or where a turfed area will require mowing. Deck mowers widths vary (generally 2.0 m wide), chute may fold/remove.
A flush transition from path surface to turf area may enable a deck mower to undertake edging simultaneously with mowing.

See the following for further guidance:

Figure 2: Deck mower advisory grades and clearance area
LIM Paths, trails and tracks - Positioning (refer Deck mower clear area and slopes) for guidance on turf beside pedestrian infrastructure - deck mower clear area and slopes.

Figure 2: Deck mower advisory grades and clearance areas

Clearances

See the following for further guidance:

Table 2: Airport positioning guidance offsets
Table 3: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Council requirements)
Table 4: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Unity Water requirements)
Table 5: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Seqwater requirements)
Table 6: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Department of Transport and Main Roads requirements)
Table 7: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Energex)
Table 8: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Powerlink).

Table 2: Airport positioning guidance offsets

Distance from airport	Reason
within 3.0 km of the boundaries of an airport	avoid the creation of large water bodies and wetlands.
	avoid the extensive planting of fruit trees and the creation of large grassed areas capable of producing abundant seed
within 8.0 km of the boundaries of an airport	limit the use of dense vegetation buffers around the edges of waterbodies.
	limit the planting of trees likely to form hollows.
	include short grass open areas that drain freely.
	keep waterways free of vegetation that might provide habitat or food sources for ducks, ibis and other medium to large water birds.
	maintain long grass (i.e. >300 mm) in non-essential areas to reduce bird access to soil based food sources and serve to discourage feeding by limiting the birds ability to observe potential predators.
	limit the use of signs, posts structures and the like that provide resting and perching opportunities for birds.
	reduce opportunities for birds to scavenge from rubbish bins, composting facilities and the like by careful design and placement.
	install anti-perching spikes and wires to deter birds, particularly magpies and raptors from roosting.
	carefully consider the selection of plant species used in landscaping and in particular, avoiding known food trees for birds and flying foxes.
within 15 km of the boundaries of an airport	when proposing to erect a permanent or temporary structure (including a construction crane) within 15 km of the Sunshine Coast Airport or Caloundra Aerodrome, consult the obstacle limitation surface (OLS) diagrams included on the Airport Environs Overlay Maps.

^{Source: Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014.}

Note: Where a proposed structure or any equipment necessary to construct, operate or maintain the proposed structure is likely to exceed the height plane (in metres AHD) of the OLS the proponent should consult Council’s planning assessment officers.

Table 3: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Council requirement)

Embellishment	Distance from	Minimum distance	Reason
Tree trunk	pathway	1.2 m	to provide path shade and to avoid risk to public safety.
Mature tree branches	ground level	1.8 m clear trunk above the road pavement (where possible)	response to CPTED guidelines to provide passive surveillance (clear sight lines). to enable visibility at street corners, near pathways, entry points, throughout parking areas and driveways, trees should have a minimum clear trunk for visibility and tree viability.
Understory planting	from ground level	maximum 300 mm high where adjacent to pathways	response to CPTED guidelines to provide passive surveillance (clear sight lines)
		maximum 500 mm high for safety and surveillance	response to CPTED guidelines to provide passive surveillance (clear sight lines)
		maximum of 700 mm high above road pavement, where located immediately adjacent to pathways, entries, parking areas, street corners, street lighting and driveways.	response to CPTED guidelines to provide passive surveillance (clear sight lines)
	dense shrubby vegetation	minimise the use of dense shrubby vegetation over 1.5 m high along street frontages and adjacent to open space areas.	response to CPTED guidelines to provide passive surveillance (clear sight lines).
Trees (streetscape planting)	average centres	8.0 m centres (where coordinated with pathways, they should be provided at 6.0 m centres where possible).	to provide continuous shade to active frontages, pathways and parking, where applicable and practicable. street tree spacing is site specific.
Trees (pathways)	average centres	6.0 m (recommended)	all pathways are to be designed to allow for maximum shade opportunities. Site and species specific.
Trees (shaded car parking)	N/A	1 shade tree per 4 parking space bays.	to provide shade over vehicles.
Trees	clear turf area to any other embellishment	2.5 m	for deck mower clearance avoid creating small difficult to mow areas
Tree – any part of a tree that can be used as leverage to climb upon	shade sail	2.5 m	to provide shade and to prevent unintended access to a shade sail.
Trees	roads	Refer Austroads Guide to Road Design for clear zone guidance.	Refer Austroads Guide to Road Design for clear zone guidance.

Table 4: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Unity Water requirements)

Embellishment	Distance from	Minimum distance	Reason
Trees and large shrubs	Unity Water – water mains	1.0 m	infrastructure protection and maintenance access.
	Unity Water – sewerage mains	1.5 m	infrastructure protection and maintenance access.

Table 5: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Seqwater requirements)

Embellishment	Distance from	Minimum distance	Reason
Trees and shrubs	Seqwater – pipeline	5.0 m either side of pipeline (however the tree canopy and rootball must not encroach in this area). Small plants with a maximum nominal root depth of 300 mm may be permitted in this area (however cultivation activities are generally restricted to a nominal depth of 150 mm). Approvals may be required.	infrastructure protection and maintenance access.

Table 6: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Department of Transport and Main Roads requirements)

Embellishment	Distance from	Minimum distance	Reason
Trees and shrubs	road	Apply DTMR for approvals	all state controlled roads require works permits.

Table 7: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Energex)

Energex Council Memorandum of Understanding.

Vegetation Planting Agreement - Proximity to Energex Assets

Outlines the minimum agreed clearances for planting vegetation from electricity infrastructure.

Embellishment	Distance from	Minimum distance	Reason
Trees and shrubs	overhead powerlines	clearance of 3.0 m between mature vegetation canopy and pole	Clearance to allow Energex to efficiently conduct routine maintenance and emergency repairs to the distribution network. Distances are the minimum predictive horizontal canopy distance from the asset at maturity.
	See DTMR Road Landscape Manual - Vegetation Setback and Clearances for further guidance.	7.0 m from pole base	as above
	pole mount plant e.g: pole transformers re-closers air break switches.	clearance of 3.0 m between mature vegetation canopy and pole mounted plant.	as above
	ground mounted pole e.g: padmount transformer	clear frontage access of 3.5 m (minimum) shall be maintained to allow truck and crane access for maintenance/repair.	as above
		clearance of 2.0 m shall be maintained between vegetation canopy and any access door or hatch.	as above
		clearance of 1.0 m shall be maintained between vegetation canopy and the parts of transformer other than doors and hatches (above).	as above
	street lights	3.0 m from pole base, however vegetation shall be selected to prevent interference with lighting.	as above
	zone substations	site specific	as above

Table 8: Positioning guidance offsets - new planting (Powerlink)

Powerlink: high voltage transmission network.

Embellishment	Distance from	Minimum distance	Reason
Trees and shrubs	sub- transmission power lines (110,000 volts)	5.0 m	safety offset

Planting (landscape)