Council donates fees for raising homes on flood prone land

Southern Downs residents will now be able to apply for permission to raise their home on flood prone land and seek a refund of the application fee paid to Southern Downs Regional Council.
Councillors voted unanimously at the general meeting last week to donate up to $500 in application fees paid to the council for raising houses in a flood affected area.
Mayor Ron Bellingham said it just made common sense.
“We want to encourage flood proofing of homes that currently have a risk of flooding,” Cr Bellingham said.
“The council has made this decision to encourage home owners to raise their homes and to reduce some of the hardship resulting from the
recent floods.
“This initiative is just one more positive step that the council is introducing to help the community deal with the impacts of the floods,” the Mayor said.
The fee will be donated where the proposed raising leads to all habitable rooms as defined under the BCA being 30 centimetres above the one in 100 year flood level as determined by the director of engineering services,
Peter See.
The proposed finished height of the building must not result in the building having an extremely adverse effect on the amenity or likely amenity of the locality.
Applications will still be subject to any current planning legislation.