Bellarine Times
Tuesday 8 February 2011
VOL 4. No 6
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
FREE WEEKLY
It was back to school last week and a whole new experience for hundreds of prep students throughout the Bellarine, including Hu nter, Luke, Chanel and Sienna, who attended Clifton Springs Primary School last Friday for their first day. See more back to school photos from ALISON MARTIN on pages 6 and 7.
DOWN THE DRAIN Residents angry they are being forced to pay special charge for new stormwater drainage
BY ELEANOR WOODS
RESIDENTS in Central Road, which links Drysdale and Clifton Springs, are furious at ‘special charges’ that City of Greater Geelong are imposing on them to help pay for stormwater drainage to service a new retirement village. Developer, Pinnacle Living, agreed to pay close to $1.5million upfront for the drains in an agreement that council would recover more than three quarters of that from residents through the special charge scheme. Council is locked in this legal agreement and must reimburse Pinnacle Living or face a penalty of close to $1.1million. The developer will contribute 23 per cent ($348,919) of the $1,492,827 total cost of the
S u r f Forecast
drainage upgrade needed to serve the new complex on a 24-acre block east of Central Road. The council wants residents to foot the bill for the remaining 77 per cent. The estimated cost for 39 landowners affected by the levy, based on property size, varies between $3,361 and $256,888. Council says residents in Central Road, Thomas Street and Ada Street benefit from the new drain because it will service further subdivisions in the area, but pensioners Bryce and Joan Hardy disagree. The couple, both aged 81, bought their five-acre block in Central Road 13 years ago, with no idea they would be hit with a bill for $77,935 to upgrade drains in the area; which is zoned Rural Living, but is in the process of being re-zoned Residential 1.
Bryce, Joan and Cheryl Hardy of Drysdale are furious they are expected to foot a large chunk of the bill for a drainage upgrade to service new developments in their neighbourhood.
“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with our drainage. It drains well here. Why should we have to pay for this? We just can’t,” Joan said. “We have no desire to subdivide so we won’t benefit from this at all. Not to mention we have no way we can pay.” “We would have to borrow the money. It’s a bit late in life at 80-odd to try and come up with that,” Bryce said. The couple and their daughter, Cheryl, have written letters, attended meetings and visited council personally to fight the charges, which, if left unpaid, would accrue interest. “We have got absolutely no argument with the retirement village, we just don’t think their drainage is our problem,” Joan said.
“We are very stressed about it. To find you could be lumbered with that amount of money to pay.” CoGG manager of engineering services, David Hannah, said council expected all residents who “benefitted” from the drain to contribute to its cost. Some residents had expressed interest in subdividing and would benefit through sale of property, others, Hannah said, would benefit from having adequate drainage in the area. “As the area develops, a main drain will be essential to protect properties from flooding, which is a public health issue,” he said. “The final step in the special charge process provides property owners with the right of an independent review through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.”
WED 2-4ft inconsistent E 23° THU 2ft fading W 26° FRI 1ft average SW 24° SAT 1-2ft windswell SW 19°
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