Environmental Overlay imposed on thousands of homeowners

I WISH to voice my outrage that the Victorian Planning Authority can, and has imposed a hugely expensive process upon residents and potential residents of Parklands, Powlett Ridge, and other growth areas of Wonthaggi.

My partner and I bought our home in Parklands three years ago. Our section 32 declared our site to be zoned residential. No overlays existed.

In January this year an Environmental Audit Overlay (EAO) was added to our section 32.  We received no notification of this, either before or after the event, from any planning authority.

It only came to light very recently when a builder applied for a building permit for his clients’ bare land site.

Thankfully we have been informed of this situation by affected persons, and we are determined to fight it for the below reasons.

We are now bound by the overlay’s requirement to undergo a risk of contamination assessment process, should we ever require a building permit from the council.

Even a preliminary risk assessment will cost in the vicinity of $20,000.

Dependent on the result of this there could be further process required with potential costs of $80,000.

So there goes $100,000 off the value of our home, thank you planning authorities.

Who will even want to buy a home with this overlay on the section 32?

As retirees we have created all the wealth we ever will, and our largest asset is our home.

Now it is worth less than it was before January.

This is still a less horrendous situation than that in which purchasers of bare land with this overlay find themselves. Great, they have purchased a site, and gained its title. But when their builder applies for a permit to build – the obligation to undergo the above described process kicks in.

Who could budget for such an unexpected and unfair cost?

This kind of overlay belongs on green sites – undeveloped potential sites, not on already subdivided land.

To overlay on developed sites is at best a mistake, at worst a cruel attempt to raise revenue.

The council is saying they cannot overturn a state planning decision.

If they cannot now, then they must make the changes, to ensure they become able to.

Surely the whole point of local government is to ensure site specific responses are in place.

Bass Coast Shire needs to step up and say this audit has been ineffectively overlaid on developed sites.

Come on Bass Coast Shire, do your duty.

Glenda Park, Wonthaggi