Nurseryman asks burning question

By Tania Martin
CHRIS and Marie’s Plant Farm believes it is being victimised by Cardinia Shire Council after it was threatened with a $200 fine last week for burning off at the old nursery site in Emerald.
Nurseryman Chris Lucas said a council worker visited the site of the old nursery on BelgraveGembrook Road last Friday and asked his staff to extinguish the fire or face a $200 fine.
Mr Lucas said he believed that he was allowed to burn off in the area, and had noticed that several members of the local community had been allowed to burn off over the last few weeks. He said Chris and Marie’s was happy to abide by any local laws, but had asked the council to explain why they were threatened with a $200 fine and asked to extinguish their fire.
Mr Lucas has also questioned whether other nearby businesses had been threatened with fines for also burning off on Friday.
“Our neighbours on either side have also been burning off over the last few weeks, and we would like to know how many of these people were threatened with a fine,” he said.
“We are happy to abide by all laws, but believe that these same laws should apply to all local citizens.”
However, Cardinia manager of governance and communication Doug Evans said Chris and Marie’s Plant Farm was not being targeted by the shire.
If there were other businesses burning off in a prohibited area then they, too, would be given a warning, he said.
Mr Evans said new local law provisions affecting burning off were introduced in December.
He said open air burning was prohibited in urban areas.
Mr Evans said the urban areas included properties zoned as Residential and Business one under the council’s planning scheme, such as the former Chris and Marie’s Plant Farm nursery site.
He said properties considered urban in the townships of Emerald, Cockatoo and Upper Beaconsfield may undertake fuel reduction burning leading up to a fire season and were allowed to burn in open air on Fridays and Saturdays between 8am and 8pm from 1 September to 30 November each year.
Mr Evans said any property in the urban area that was burning off during the prohibited time would receive a warning from council.