People who breach planning permits in Wyndham will be dealt with more swiftly under changes to the council’s enforcement policy.
The period given for compliance with council warnings will be reduced from 28 to 14 days.
Cr Glenn Goodfellow said the revised policy would speed up the process of investigating and resolving breaches.
“Previously, parties found to have breached the conditions of a planning permit had 28 days to rectify the problem, but they would often wait until the last moment before applying for an extension to the warning notice, which council officers were often obliged to grant,” Cr Goodfellow said.
“This was becoming a burden as it meant investigations would drag on for longer than necessary.
“A warning notice of 14 days means that even with an extension, an investigation could be resolved far more speedily, both to the satisfaction of the person making the complaint and to council.”
Cr Goodfellow said that in recent years there had been a rise in the number of complaints to the council’s planning investigation unit.
“Council has been receiving more complaints, especially around odour and noise, as homes were being used for activities prohibited in residential areas,” he said.
The council estimates 60 per cent of all complaints are related to residential activity and 40 per cent are related to business or industrial matters.
For more details visit www.wyndham.vic.gov.au.
