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Calls for ban on houses in fire areas (Read 615 times)
Hlysnan
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Calls for ban on houses in fire areas
Feb 16th, 2010 at 6:07am
 
Quote:
ONE year after Kevin Rudd pledged to rebuild the communities devastated by the Black Saturday fires, planners have warned against "death trap" building and demanded that development be banned in fire-prone areas.

The Victorian bushfires royal commission yesterday heard evidence that rapid population growth was occurring in places labelled as "some of the highest fire-risk areas on the planet".

A national planning strategy was needed to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, the commission was told.

In a submission to the commission, urban planner Roslynne Hansen said: "In my opinion, seeking to protect communities living in dwellings scattered across rural landscapes from the ravages of bushfire, often with one access road in and out, is tantamount to death-trap planning."

She questioned the Brumby government's decision to speed up the rebuilding of Marysville, telling the commission yesterday: "I was disappointed, somewhat alarmed, about allowing those communities to go back and resettle, and I think we've really got our hands full in terms of guaranteeing their safety in the future."

As the commission was turned over to a panel of planning experts to discuss key issues -- a process known as "hot tubbing" -- security specialist Athol Yates said that after a disaster there was always a knee-jerk response of "we will rebuild" when it might be better to retreat from previous inappropriate development.

"One of the best ways to prevent the disaster and the consequences is to actually not have people in an area that is vulnerable," he said.

The panel of six planning experts told the commission it was clear strategic planning had not gone well in Victoria. They called for a national approach to strategic planning and more resources for local governments to prepare for bushfire.

Michael Buxton, from RMIT university's environment and planning department, said a large government buy-back should be considered to move people away from areas of high bushfire risk.

Professor Buxton said that following the deadly Ash Wednesday fires in 1983, the Victorian government bought back tens of thousands of lots across the Dandenong Ranges that were considered to be high fire risk, in a radical reassessment of where people should be allowed to live and build houses.

He said rapid population growth in one of the world's most fire-prone areas was a major problem. It was "quite amazing" the Victorian government had put in place a strategic plan to deal with coastal erosion caused by climate change but no comparable policy for bushfires, Professor Buxton said.


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freediver
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Re: Calls for ban on houses in fire areas
Reply #1 - Feb 16th, 2010 at 6:39pm
 
I think the title is a bit misleading. It will just result in changes to building standards. You would still be able to build there, you'll have have to provide better protection.
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Hlysnan
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Re: Calls for ban on houses in fire areas
Reply #2 - Feb 16th, 2010 at 9:50pm
 
I know that there will be no bans, but there are calls from planners demanding that development be banned in fire-prone areas (see first sentence). I guess the title is a bit misleading in terms of actual effects, but it's still truthful provided that the author didn't lie about it.
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Brendon
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Re: Calls for ban on houses in fire areas
Reply #3 - Feb 17th, 2010 at 8:08am
 
Hlysnan wrote on Feb 16th, 2010 at 9:50pm:
I know that there will be no bans, but there are calls from planners demanding that development be banned in fire-prone areas (see first sentence). I guess the title is a bit misleading in terms of actual effects, but it's still truthful provided that the author didn't lie about it.


Victoria is a fire prone area. Next time the place goes up, check a map and look at how much of the place is in flames. From one end of the state to the other.

Too much fuel on the ground. You try telling some greenies that and they blather over killing the natural fauna and flora. The fuel grows, and in 10 years there is the ineviatble HUGE fire that kills off absolutely everything. With AGW its more like 5 years nowadays.

For thousands of years Aboriginals burnt off.
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mozzaok
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Re: Calls for ban on houses in fire areas
Reply #4 - Feb 17th, 2010 at 12:20pm
 
It is more about the positioning of housing within the individual topography of the areas that is the issue.

We have had areas burn in the 1960's in ferny creek, that were then banned from rebuilding on, they were closed from development, and the properties were sold to the state, and absorbed back into the state forest.

Certain slopes, and gullies, form natural funnels for fire to travel along, and these are the areas that need to be excluded from developments, by consulting with locals and fire experts, to identify these "most" dangerous of areas.
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