2009 Victorian bushfires: spotlight on planning and building regulations
THE Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission this month turned its attention to planning, building and fuel-management practices in the lead-up to Black Saturday.
Among the topics already discussed were the inadequacy and lack of implementation of the Wildfire Management Overlay (WMO), vegetation control and that too many people were living close to the bush.
Counsel assisting the commission, Melinda Richards, stated that "the importance of land use planning as a bushfire risk mitigation measure has been recognised for some time."
Ms Richards said on Monday 8th February that "over the next 60 hearing days the evidence will focus on how land use planning in Victoria deals with bushfire risk mitigation, how well that has occurred and is occurring, whether there are aspects of the way in which the Victorian land use planning system addresses bushfire risk that could be improved and, if so, how."
- Written by Urbanalyst