THIS is the human face of the Wonthaggi planning disaster.
Young Wonthaggi couple, Alliza Miel and Corey Green, bought a block of land in the town’s developing North-East Precinct growth area in 2020.
But now, just as they’re finally ready to escape the rent trap and go ahead and build their first home, something incredibly unfair has happened.
Their block, and more than 500 like it, in the four impacted housing estates; Northern Views, Parklands, Powlett Ridge and Summerfields; some with houses already built, others vacant building blocks titled and sold, and open land still to be subdivided; have all been hit retrospectively with a highly restrictive Environmental Audit Overlay (EAO).
“We bought the block off the plans in 2020 but COVID came along, and we basically lost two years,” said Corey this week.
“Now we’re ready to go. We have the finance, a fixed price contract with our builder, and they were supposed to go ahead and pour the slab when all this happened.
“It’s a crazy situation. We had hoped all this could be sorted out quickly but now I read, according to the shire, that it could take 18 months.”
He’s referring to a statement by Bass Coast Shire Council CEO Greg Box last Friday:
“Under the planning rules, Council is unable to alter the requirements of an Environmental Audit Overlay, despite our opposition to it. Our only option to resolve the issue, without the support of the other agencies involved, is through a planning scheme amendment, which would take up to 18 months.”
Corey’s partner Alliza wasted no time writing to her local MP, Jordan Crugnale, expressing her dismay about the lack of consultation and apparent mishandling of the alleged contamination issue which she said the shire knew about as far back as 2016.
“The challenges posed by this new requirement are significant, especially for first-time homeowners like myself, and families seeking a fresh start,” said Alliza.
“The high costs and lengthy timeframes involved are simply unmanageable for many.
“Given the current rental crisis and inflation, this issue with the environmental overlay audit, is particularly devastating, impacting the ‘Great Australian Dream’ of home ownership.”
Unfortunately, they’re not on their own.
The locally based volume builder they have signed up with, who asked not to be named, said they had 10 new homes, Corey and Alliza’s among them, with all the trades lined up, that should have started last week.
“There are still plenty of houses on the go at the moment, but the whole thing is starting to grind to a halt. This needs to be sorted out and fast,” said a spokesperson for the builder.
There are dozens more new homes being held up by the current impasse.
Parklea Sales and Marketing manager Jarod Mills told the Sentinel-Times last week that block owners who were ready to start building were the company’s priority at the moment.
“Our project team will have advice in the next few days on how to best address the 20 jobs in Stage 5 which have building permits outstanding, this has been our priority,” he told clients by email this week, in the absence of any information from authorities.
“All of Stage 7 will have reports and certificates available by mid-year when the land is ready for title registration and settlements.”
Meanwhile it has been revealed that the retrospective imposition of EAOs, and the failure to notify the property and building sector has opened up a legal minefield where completed houses, some as much as five years old, have been sold with defective Section 32 vendor statements, failing to list the Environmental Audit Overlay, and building surveyors continuing to issue building permits on affected blocks after January 18 this year when the overlay conditions were introduced.
The Bass Coast Shire could not tell the Sentinel-Times how many building permits have been illegally issued since January 18 nor exactly how many private home and building block owners have been impacted except to agree it is “more than 500”.
In the absence of any announcements by the authorities that they made a mistake introducing the overlays, especially on established homes, or failed to consult with the community, impacted homeowners and building block owners have called a public meeting for 2pm this Saturday, May 11 in Wishart Reserve opposite the Bass Coast Council Chambers.
