Final chance to comment on changed local laws

Regulations to control unsightly buildings, unregistered vehicles and overgrown nature strips have all been deleted by Baw Baw Shire’s proposed local laws.

Regulations covering everything from keeping animals to waste disposal and community behaviour in public places are included in a proposed new set of local laws.

Following a period of community consultation, council has made some changes to its proposed community local laws in response to community feedback.

The draft document will be on exhibition for a final round of consultation until June 14.

Two of the proposed regulations deleted by councillors include regulations to unsightly buildings and keeping of unregistered vehicles.

Council decided to delete the following two clauses:

An owner or occupier of land must ensure that the land, does not have on it a building that is unsightly or dilapidated; and,

A person who owns or occupies private property must not, except with a permit, keep on that private property more than two vehicles which are not currently registered with or have a permit from Vic Roads or any other relevant authority.

Cr Debbie Brown said the regulation relating to buildings on land was covered by other clauses that related to the condition of land and expected amenity.

Cr Brown said the clause relating to vehicles also was not needed.

She said farmers may have vehicles on their properties that were not registered because they never left the property.

“I think that clause will restrict some farming uses,” she said. Cr Gerard Murphy said the clause needed to be retained.

He said he was concerned about people who had 10 or 15 vehicles on a property that were eyesores.

He said they were often rusted vehicles in paddocks that weren’t working.

Council also removed a proposed local law relating to maintenance of nature strips that required owners or occupiers of adjoining land to maintain their nature strips in a “neat and tidy condition.”

Cr Tricia Jones said most people kept their nature strips tidy so she did not believe this regulation was needed.

Cr Murphy suggested part two of the local law relation to nature strips should be retained which stated nature strips should not contain grass, stubble, scrub or undergrowth exceeding 200 millimetres in height.

He said if there was a local law in place setting out acceptable standards, it gave officers something to talk to residents about if problems arose.

Cr Brown said most of the time residents had responded to officers if there were concerns.

“I’d like to think that we have goof people in the community and most people do look after their nature strip,” she said.

Council also removed a proposal requiring supermarkets to install coin or token mechanisms in shopping trolleys.

The local laws put out for community consultation last year proposed a new set of regulations relating to shopping trolleys.

One of the local laws stated “a retailer must not make available for use or allow to be used a shopping trolley which does not have a coin/token mechanisms attached to it and in operation.”

At the time, officers suggested this would assist in the return of shopping trolleys to supermarkets, rather than being left in car parks or other areas of towns.

Cr Peter Kostos said it was difficult to put this impost onto supermarkets and “I don’t think it would address the problem anyway.”

Council is urging residents to read the proposed local laws as there were many regulations that affected people and they may not realise.

Mayor Joe Gauci said this would be the final time council would seek feedback from the community before it considers introducing a new Community Local Law.

“I would strongly encourage all residents to take the time to review the proposed Community Local Law 2016, as there are a number of proposed changes that may be of interest or that will have a direct impact on the community,” he said.

Cr Gauci said council believed the existing local laws were not operating as an entirely effective tool for officers and was ambiguous within the community.

“Council receives regular complaints from residents about noise, odours, unsightly properties and safety hazards. These are just some of the aspects covered in the local laws, which both council and the community need to have clear expectations about.

Residents can participate in an online “have your say” forum on council’s website. Consultation closes at 5pm on Tuesday, June 14.