By Peter Douglas
A further 18,000 properties in the Yarra Ranges are now included in an expanded Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO), with updated mapping coming into effect on Tuesday 3 October.
Eight years in the making, the Victorian Government has unveiled the finalised mapping of the BMO, which now includes many areas traditionally considered more suburban in the shire, such as Healesville, Belgrave and Upwey-Tecoma.
An estimated 40,000 properties shire-wide are now included in the BMO, which will mean new developments or buildings will need to meet higher specifications.
The BMO is a planning control applied to land with the potential to be affected by bushfire.
The expanded BMO does not require any changes to be made to existing homes, though home owners are still being encouraged to take steps to make their property safer.
Yarra Ranges Council is now in the process of informing ratepayers through a combination of direct mail, advertising and digital communications.
Strategic Planning Project Manager, Claudette Fahy, told the ‘Mail’ the BMO would help to create more fire-resistant communities.
“The good news side is that ultimately it makes our communities more fire resistant and more resilient because – bottom line – you have to build to a higher standard,” Ms Fahy said.
“But that only affects new buildings, so there is no need to retrofit existing buildings to make them more fire resilient.
“So if your property just came into the BMO – and you’re not planning to build anything – you’ve just got another planning control attached to the property.”
Ms Faye said the BMO formed part of an important response to the Black Saturday bushfires, with the BMO a result of recommendations from the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission.
“The Royal Commission was very concerned with people not becoming complacent about bushfires because when it happens we’re all on top of it, but now we’re here eight years down the track,” she said.
“The CFA is always banging on about being prepared and they’re right.”
Director of Social and Economic Development, Ali Wastie, said the BMO was introduced to the planning scheme to make new or extended homes safer and more bushfire resilient.
“If the BMO applies, a planning permit will be required to subdivide the land, build a new house or significantly extend an existing house,” Ms Wastie said.
“Other types of buildings may also need a planning permit.”
The new mapping has been developed in partnership with the CFA and CSIO.
The BMO identifies areas subject to high fire risk and requires planning permission for building and works associated with:
*Dwellings (house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat or substantial structure);
*Dependent person’s unit (granny flat or moveable buildings);
*Education centre (kindergarten, preschool, school or training centre);
*Leisure or recreation;
*Retail or other uses.
Landowners can check if land is covered by the BMO using the Victorian Government’s ‘Planning Maps online tool’.
Suburbs affected by changes to the BMO mapping in Yarra Ranges:
Badger Creek, Belgrave, Belgrave South, Coldstream, Dixon Creek, Don Valley, Gladysdale, Gruyere, Healesville, Hoddles Creek, Kallista, Kilsyth, Launching Place, Lilydale, Lysterfield, Macclesfield, Menzies Creek, Millgrove, Monbulk, Montrose, Mooroolbark, Mount Evelyn, Narre Warren East, Olinda, Selby, Seville, Seville East, Silvan, Steels Creek, Tarrawarra, Tecoma, The Patch, Upper Ferntree Gully, Upwey, Wandin East, Wandin North, Wesburn, Woori Yallock, Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction, Yellingbo and Yering.
In conjunction to the expanded overlay, two schedules have been introduced in some areas to help streamline applications for single dwellings or extensions.
For further information on the BMO, visit www.planning.vic.gov.au/bmo.
