Council & Pool fences .
We have had the council inspect our pool and say it needs additional fencing which requires a building permit . They will not issue a permit as they say it is a conflict of interest as they have identified the need for a permit . Thus we need to go to a private contractor at great expense.
Is this not bureaucracy gone mad ?. It is like a policeman pulling me over for speeding and then not issuing a ticket due to a conflict .
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That reads like madness gone berserk. Have you engaged with your council representative? It almost reads like council have a ‘close relationship’ with the private contractors. Could it be?
Common sense suggests they would be legally obligated to issue or refuse a building permit on its merits, but government and common sense are so often disjoint concepts.
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We have engaged with the council and they are adamant. I believe they have an unusual interpretation of what a conflict of interest is.
Perhaps it is an overkill reaction from a legal action or alike to develop such a hands off approach, when clearly it is not a conflict but it is in their interest .
We agree in relation to common sense . It is absent in this instance and has moved to a sense of the absurd. It would even be comical if it was not so very real.
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It smells of responsibility and liability. I wonder if council issue a permit, something goes wrong then think they take on liability. It this is the case it is nonsense as the desired outcome should be protection of children, irrespective of who issues a permit. This may be another case of bureacratic processes being the outcome, rather than the intented purpose of the legislation.
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Our local council recently carried out a safety inspection on our swimming pool . During the inspection it was identified that additional fencing was required on the side of the pool where there is the structure of a garage. A permit they advised is required for the additional fencing . Our reading of the legislation indicates this structure is within the safety requirements and we do disagree with the interpretation of the need for additional fencing
When we went to council to apply for a permit we were told that the council could not issue a permit as this was a conflict of interest . To get a permit we would need to go to a private issuer.
The private issuer agrees with our interpretation of the safety requirements however we have requested a permit from them to meet the councils requirements .
How is a conflict for the council to issue a permit when they identify it is required ?
When finished will they inspect to sign off on Inspection or is this another conflict of interest ?
In our opinion this is bureaucracy at a high level together with a subjective safety opinion that does not hold water under objective analysis of the legislative requirements .
Hi @bryan.murphy, just wondering if you could advise of the state/local government area. It will allow us to provide a better appreciation of the issue at hand and why Council has taken this approach.
This is Whitehorse council in the Box Hill Area of Melbourne
