Illegal Filling of Land Causes Concerns for City
Date Published: 4/04/2011
City of Rockingham Mayor, Barry Sammels, this week expressed concerns over landowners in Baldivis east of the Kwinana Freeway using unsuitable soil and fill to improve the usability of their land prior to winter.
“The City has been receiving complaints from nearby residents about dust levels and truck movements in the Pinjarra Plain area east of the Kwinana Freeway.
“We’ve become aware that some landowners have sourced unsuitable fill from the Baldivis High School construction site, which has soil with a high acid sulphate content and poor drainage due to its high plastic clay content. Building any structure on top of this type of soil in the future is not appropriate.”
Mayor Sammels reminds landowners to double check if they require planning approvals: “Filling of land is equivalent to ‘development’ under the Planning and Development Act 2005 and prior Planning Approval is required from Council.
“Landowners who fail to obtain Planning Approval before filling their land are in breach of the Act and could be prosecuted for unlawful development. The penalty for an offence is up to $200,000 and in the case of a continuing offence, a further fine of $25,000 for each day during which the offence continues.”
The City’s Planning Department is currently investigating several instances where land has been illegally filled in the Pinjarra Plain area.
Any person who is considering filling their land is advised to contact the City’s Planning Services, prior to any works occurring, on 9528 0341.
More Information
City of Rockingham - Town planning approvals
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