The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) will meet with Sydney councils within the next few days as pressure mounts on the NSW Government to modify new anti-bushfire laws which allow residents to clear vegetation and trees without permits.

“The meeting will be with a number of councils, mostly just to look at smaller pockets of bush in bigger urban areas and discuss the rule around those areas,” an RFS spokesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “It’s just a discussion at this stage.”

He says the service may “potentially review” these smaller areas which councils have designated as bushfire-prone. 

Sydney councils have voiced concerns at the way the new rules – which are intended to provide greater protection for homes in bushfire-prone areas – are being used by city residents to eliminate trees that restrict their views.

Mosman Council – which administers a Sydney harbourside suburb with expensive homes and water views – says it is seeking an opportunity to discuss the implications of the new bushfire rule for the area.

RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said at the weekend that if there are any unintended consequences of the new land-clearing laws, the RFS is “happy to look at them”.

The peak body for the state’s councils, Local Government NSW (LGNSW), has labelled the laws as “premature”.

LGNSW President Keith Rhoades, says he is “extremely concerned about the rushed implementation” of laws from August 1 – about two weeks after submissions on a draft code closed.

“There was clearly insufficient time for the Rural Fire Service (RFS) to respond to or incorporate the many comments provided by councils, Local Government NSW and other organisations,” he said.

LGNSW has requested a meeting with Police and Emergency Services Minister Stuart Ayres to discuss its concerns and “remove the confusion reigning across councils and the community”.

Media reports have suggested some city councils could request exemptions from the law because they fear unnecessary vegetation clearance.

However, the fire service has received no formal exemption requests, a spokesman for Mr Ayres told insuranceNEWS.com.au. A meeting with LGNSW has yet to be scheduled.