Warning to land-buyers as minister pushes to end disaster zone building

The federal Emergency Management Minister is calling for new laws to stop homes being built on floodplains and high bushfire risk zones.

Murray Watt warns planning systems aren’t fit for purpose and Australians are “paying the price”.

Partner with Henderson and Ball Lawyers, Justin Lawrence, says a house doesn’t have to be shown as built on a floodplain to be at risk.

“Zoning overlays haven’t kept up with development, so what happens is what used to be attractive farmland, which might have been subject to flooding, is now residential development, which means the next block over … hasn’t necessarily been zoned for flooding because it hasn’t flooded previously, but the development on the first lot of blocks has created a situation where the water then flows over to the next block and the planning hasn’t kept up with it,” he told Ross and Russel.

“People are building not realising that the knock on effect of … earlier development is that they are now in a flood-prone zone.

“If you are buying a property adjacent to a floodplain then you need to be aware that your property could now be subject to the same issues.”

Press PLAY below to hear the warning to land-buyers

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