Victoria relaxes building codes imposed after Black Saturday bushfires
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Version 0 of 1. Victorians may be able to build in bushfire-prone areas after the state government relaxed tight planning controls set after the Black Saturday fires of 2009. The Black Saturday royal commission recommended tough building codes, initially adopted by the government, to control new development in areas of higher fire risk. But these controls left some people unable to build on their land or sell it. Planning minister Matthew Guy said the planning code changes gave landowners and residents in bushfire zones greater certainty. "What we found over a long period of consultations is that those regulations that came out of the bushfires royal commission have been rigid and they have been quite unworkable in some instances, and they have gone beyond what the recommendation from the royal commission had envisaged." People would still be encouraged to build safer homes, but several changes would be introduced after 18 months of consultation. Private bushfire bunkers would be allowed as an alternative safety measure; “more sensible” bushfire safety measures could be implemented in new master-planned estates; and a $700,000 assistance fund would be set up to enable affected landowners and councils to streamline planning processes. The changes will allow landowners to make planning applications that, while still subject to council planning approval, give them an appeals process they did not previously have if the plans were rejected. Lorne resident Kate Cotter, who has campaigned for the bushfire zone planning codes to be relaxed, praised the changes. "It provides surety for thousands of Victorian families that they'll be able to build and rebuild on their land," she told the ABC. "This will save so many people from financial ruin and improve the bushfire resilience of community." |