Bushfire risk blocks first home owners’ bid to build

A NORTHERN suburbs couple’s dream of building their first home has been tangled in red tape for about four years because of bushfire risk, despite being surrounded by houses.

The couple bought a suburban block on Melanzana Chase in Landsdale in March 2015, when houses were being built on surrounding lots.

It was adjacent to two large, undeveloped lots on the corner of Landsdale Road and Alexander Drive, which were zoned for future commercial development and contained bush.

After lodging their building application in early 2016, they found legislation had changed and they could not get a building permit because the bushfire attack level for their property was too high at BAL-FZ.

Unlike their residential neighbours, the couple missed the change in legislation by two weeks, and the adjacent landowner was not required to maintain a bigger firebreak until they start development.

City of Wanneroo planning and sustainability director Mark Dickson confirmed other houses in the area were built prior to the introduction of those bushfire regulations, so did not have to meet the same requirements.

A recent review of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ map of bushfire prone areas resulted in a 30 per cent reduction in the number of properties declared bushfire prone across several metropolitan suburbs, however classification of the couple’s land was unchanged.

Despite efforts by several agencies to help, including the City, DFES, Girrawheen MLA Margaret Quirk and their builder, there has been no progress and the couple still do not know when they will be able to build their home.

“They have looked at many ways to help reduce our BAL rating but the only real way in the end to sort out the situation easiest will be to clear the bush on the neighbouring block,” the woman said.

“That was meant to be our forever home.

“We just want to build; to be able to have our own home.

“We don’t know how much longer it’s going to take.”

She said they would not be able to sell the block without disclosing the bushfire attack level, which meant potential buyers would not be able to build there either.

She said they could not afford extra costs of fire-proofing their home, and the neighbouring landowner, who already put in a standard firebreak, had no short term plans to clear and build on their property.

“Once the development is done, there will be no bush there at all,” the first homebuyer said.

What is a bushfire prone area?

According to DFES, designated bush fire prone areas (coloured pink on the map) have been identified by the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner as being subject, or likely to be subject, to bushfire attack.

The commissioner identified bushfire prone areas as those containing or close to bushfire prone vegetation, including areas within a 100m buffer zone.

Visit dfes.wa.gov.au for more information.