Lives down the drain

Kim Waters
Charges to cover the cost of drainage works for a proposed retirement home at Clifton Springs could force landowners off their properties, frustrated residents have warned.
Many fear they will be unable to pay “ridiculous” council levies for the drainage works on Central Road.
Drysdale Clifton Springs community association secondary Patrick Hughes said Melbourne-based company Pinnacle Living had requested permission to build a retirement home on an eight-hectare site fronting Central Road.
But council had told Pinnacle Living the land needed a new drain to accommodate the development.
Mr Hughes said council would force residents to pay 77 per cent of the $1.4 million drainage cost, with Pinnacle to contribute the rest.
“The argument is that once the drain is in place all the landowners can make a financial killing if they subdivide their allotments and sell them off to property developers,” Mr Hughes said.
“The problem is that none of these residents want to subdivide their land. They don’t want to make money out of it and they can’t afford the charges.”
Central Road’s Dennis King, who faces a $74,000 charge for the drain, said council approval of a user-pays scheme for the works would force him to “sell up”.
“Most of the people here are elderly or self-funded retirees and will be paying this debt off for the rest of their lives,” Mr King said.
“Selling up is the only option for a lot of us.”
Mr King said few residents would benefit from the drain.
“We moved here for a rural lifestyle and none of us want to make a profit out of this. Why are we being forced to pay for something that only the retirement village will benefit from?”
Pinnacle Living chief Geoffrey Reeve said his company was only following council orders.
“We’re doing what council have told us to do,” Mr Reeve said.
“We’re anxious to ensure it’s not mischaracterised as an us-against-the-neighbours-issue.”
Mr Reeve said Pinnacle and landowners would pay according to land size.
Ward councillor Rod Macdonald backed the scheme.
“It’s a necessary piece of infrastructure that needs to be installed to enable this development to go through and enable development for the rest of the area,” Cr Macdonald said.
“The key thing is that this development will be of benefit down the track for the people.”