By JESSE GRAHAM
A YARRA Glen man has called on Yarra Ranges to simplify laws about shipping containers, after being forced to remove one of the two on his property.
Joe Balog contacted the Mail after a long back-and-forth between himself and council regarding two shipping containers and retaining walls on his Yarra Glen property.
He said the containers were supplied to him under the Adopt-a-Container program, which provided 12-month temporary storage via shipping containers, post-Black Saturday.
In June 2014, the council issued a Building Notice to Mr Balog, asking him to show why the containers should not be removed and the ground returned to its original state – a Building Order was then issued, with extensions made until May 2015.
By August 2015, one of the containers had been removed, with a planning permit application submitted for the other to be used as a shed.
But Mr Balog described the rules as “ridiculous”, due to the containers being “removable objects”, and claimed that other councils had “no requirements for building permits” for containers.
Ryrie ward councillor, Fiona McAllister, said she empathised with Mr Balog and that the rules needed to be clearer about what was required of landowners using containers.
“It’s a solid structure, and his were provided to him post-bushfires for storage, so it’s been a really stressful and frustrating situation for him,” she said.
“I would really rather see that we just have some common-sense guidelines about if you’re using them for storage.”
Yarra Ranges Council’s director of Social and Economic Development Ali Wastie said that, after Black Saturday, land owners were able to have “temporary storage buildings” under planning scheme exemptions, but that shipping containers were otherwise subject to “normal permit requirements”.
Ms Wastie said the matter would not be pursued through the court, and that Mr Balog’s consultant building surveyor was providing certification for the remaining container.
The Mail contacted council’s surrounding Yarra Ranges, and asked what requirements, if any, are needed to use shipping containers for storage.
Cardinia Shire Council’s acting Development and Compliance manager, Owen Hardidge, said that building permits might be required if a container was being “used as, or resembles, a building”.
“The Relevant Building Surveyor (RBS) is required to classify the type of building the shipping containers most closely resembles, and then ensure that the building design complies with the relevant provisions,” Mr Hardidge said.
A Murrindindi Shire Council spokesperson said residents required local law permits to use shipping containers for storage, but that these permits were temporary.
“In some instances, a planning permit may be required,” the spokesperson said.
Have you had trouble with permits for shipping containers? Do you think the rules need to be made clearer? Send a Letter to the Editor to editor@mailnewsgroup.com.au or 244 Maroondah Highway, Healesville.
