{"id":70780,"date":"2014-06-15T21:03:39","date_gmt":"2014-06-15T11:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=70780"},"modified":"2020-11-30T13:48:56","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T03:48:56","slug":"memerambi-solution-inches-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/06\/15\/memerambi-solution-inches-closer\/","title":{"rendered":"Memerambi Solution Inches Closer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann hopes Memerambi Estate owners will agree to a ‘benefitted area’ arrangement so the failed sub-division can finally be fixed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 14, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

A solution to the controversial Memerambi housing estate may be close.<\/p>\n

The South Burnett Regional Council will write to affected property owners offering to make the estate a “benefitted area”, Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said on Friday.<\/p>\n

If the owners agree, the Council would borrow funds from Queensland Treasury to build the sealed roads and drainage works, and connect underground power needed to make the estate habitable.<\/p>\n

The Memerambi owners would repay the loan costs, interest and redemption fees over a set period on top of their normal rates.<\/p>\n

“We have to wait and see what the owners say,” Mayor Kratzmann said.<\/p>\n

But he hoped they would agree to the proposal so work on “normalising” the estate could start quickly.<\/p>\n

“Council would really like to see Memerambi Estate fixed,” the Mayor said.<\/p>\n

“So we hope to hear back from the owners soon.”<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Memerambi Estate has been an eyesore ever since August 2013 when the estate’s developer Summit View Meritor Pty Ltd was placed in liquidation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Council originally approved development of the estate in January 2011 on an historical sub-division laid out in 1907.<\/p>\n

The approval was given subject to conditions that apply to normal sub-divisions, including the completion of infrastructure works prior to the commencement of building work.<\/p>\n

However in April 2011, this requirement was removed after Summit View Meritor, via a consultant, requested a “negotiated decision”.<\/p>\n

Summit View Meritor then built houses on the estate in advance of fundamental infrastructure such as roads, water and sewerage.<\/p>\n

Many of the houses were only completed to basic lock-up stage, and lacked proper infrastructure connections to make them habitable.<\/p>\n

After Summit View Meritor was placed into receivership, the Council then found itself embroiled in a legal action launched by 18 of the property owners against the developers in which it was joined as a third respondent.<\/p>\n

This held up any moves towards fixing the problem until the case was resolved in Council’s favour in February this year.<\/p>\n

At the time, the Mayor said he genuinely sympathised with the property owners’ predicament, but was determined South Burnett ratepayers would not be out of pocket because of the problem.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apart from declaring the estate a benefitted area, the only other options open to property owners were to pay contractors to build the infrastructure themselves; or watch the estate continue to deteriorate.<\/p>\n

In May this year, the Council adopted a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) which will require future owners of historic sub-divisions to build all infrastructure before any dwelling can be erected.<\/p>\n

The TLPI will remain in force for a year, by which time the Council hope to introduce a new, Shire-wide Planning Scheme containing similar provisions to prevent any similar situation in future.<\/p>\n

[UPDATED with correction. An earlier version of this report stated the letters had been sent]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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