Master Builders last week welcomed changes made to Victoria’s bushfire planning regulations that will provide greater certainty to residents, landowners and the building industry construction home projects in bushfire designated areas.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy has adopted reforms that will allow more flexibility for people building on land with a high Bushfire Attack Level rating.

“The Victorian Coalition Government said that reforms would come after a period of consultation and that is precisely what we are doing,” Mr Guy said.

Key parts of the reform package will allow for:

• More sensible bushfire safety measures in new master-planned estates;
• Homes to be constructed on infill lots surrounded by other dwellings;
• Vegetation clearance to protect a defendable space;
• Assessing bushfire risk in a way that in consistent with national standards; and
• Private bushfire bunkers as an alternative safety measure in high risk areas.

“Common sense has prevailed as the government adopts these streamlines bushfire regulations,” said Master Builders CEO Radley de Silva.

“These reforms will provide greater certainty to both the residents and landowners living in bushfire prone communities, as well as the builders and tradespeople who will work with them.”

Councils and affected landowners will also be able to access a new $700,000 assistance fund. This will be used to help provide assistance to landowners making planning permit applications and grants for councils to streamline planning and permit requirements.

“The planning process is the most onerous aspect for builders and tradespeople and we trust this new fund will allow landowners to efficiently navigate this,” Mr de Silva said.

“Safety is paramount in bushfire designated areas and these regulations will allow builders and tradespeople to fulfil the requirements for their clients in an efficient and sensible manner.

“The flow on affect of streamlining the planning process and regulations will be housing stock built to higher safety standards. This is a win for the entire community.”


More than 7500 properties removed from bushfire prone areas


The Planning Minister has also announced changes that will see 7549 properties removed from bushfire prone area maps across the state.

“This follows a string of positive news for Victorian builders, including upcoming free online access to the National Construction Code and Building Code of Australia, a 14.9 per cent increase in Victorian dwelling approvals for April 2014, and record high economic confidence revealed in a recent Master Builders Association survey,” said Mr Guy.

Details of where lots have been removed from the bushfire prone area (BPA) maps are below:

Source: State Government

“Moves to significantly reduce the number of properties impacted by bushfire prone area maps will support investment in building projects and create new jobs for builders,” Mr de Silva said.

“The inconsistent application of bushfire mapping and building controls has been a substantial issue for many builders, particularly in regional Victoria, and the government has listened to these concerns.

“Master Builders participated in a government review of these policies and it’s great to see an outcome that will ensure these maps are applied in a more consistent way.”

The 7500 properties excluded from bushfire prone area maps follows previous reductions of 12,200 lots last December and 117,000 lots last August.

“These maps were adding around $3000 to the cost of a new home, so collectively these reforms could save our community around $410 million in unnecessary bushfire protection costs where homes would be in no significant danger,” said Mr de Silva.

Next BPA review

A further review of BPA maps will take place over coming months, with a focus on areas where recent development has occurred.

The government will accept applications from land developers requesting specific areas be removed because bushfire hazards have been removed.

Application forms (download here) must be emailed to [email protected] by 20 June 2014.