The Court held that strategic DCP road layouts carry significant weight and cannot be displaced by site-specific ecological evidence alone without supporting traffic and planning assessments; the Court confirmed that where a BMP includes habitat improvement measures (revegetation with preferred foraging species, nest boxes, corridor enhancement), these can satisfy Principle 4 of cl 6.7(2) BC Regulation and defeat an SAII finding even for critically endangered species like the Swift Parrot. The decision also confirms that DCP lot orientation non-compliance does not warrant refusal where no specific lot is shown to have sub-optimal amenity outcomes.
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