The recent floods have left many people homeless. Trying to address this problem, local councils have waived some of the current building rules to allow people to erect temporary dwellings, which will be allowed to stay in place for two years. But what happens when the two years are up?
I think it’s time for a more permanent change in councils’ attitude to subdivisions to allow more land on higher ground to be made available for people to build permanent dwellings. The last time I read about the requirements, before a bush block like mine could be subdivided, a landowner had to have over 200 acres of land before they were able to apply for a subdivision.
Yes, it’s possible to build a granny flat, or carer’s accommodation without a subdivision, but banks won’t lend money to build a house without a freehold title.
In these difficult times, when so many people have lost their homes and/or rentals owing to the floods, surely it’s time for a rethink about subdivisions? Some of us are now of an age where we can’t manage the land as well as we used to, and many of us are now aged pensioners, so paying for help with slashing etc is difficult to afford.
If councils allowed subdivisions on smaller blocks of land which can’t be used for agriculture or grazing, it would benefit councils and the local population by providing more housing possibilities and extra revenue from rates.
Most bush blocks are useless for growing crops or grazing, but if we have sufficient fire breaks, then areas of bushland could be allowed to grow to provide habitat for wildlife, and the trees and bushes will regenerate and add to better air quality.
Those of us who are growing older and want to help our adult children (many of whom were left homeless by the floods) aren’t able to do so, owing to the old-fashioned laws regarding subdivisions. This latest crisis in the Northern Rivers, (with possibly more floods and fires to come) surely heralds a time for a more practical and compassionate change in the subdivision laws.
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