Hoardings and barricades over Council land

When hoardings are required

Hoardings and barricades are a common sight around building sites. They protect the public and secure the site when unattended.

Stonnington's Local Law itself does not specify when hoarding or the taking of precautions to protect the safety of the public are required. It simply requires that when hoardings etc are to be erected over Council land a permit must be obtained. Our procedural guideline (135KB) outlines this process in more detail.

Where building work is to be carried out, it is the relevant building surveyor who is responsible (under the Building Regulations) to:

• decide when precautions are required through the project
• seek details of precautions from the designer/builder
• approve suitability of precautions
• give a copy of any building permit application with details of precautions projecting the street alignment to Council
• obtain consent and report under 604 of the Building Regulations to that application before issuing any building permit where precautions are proposed to project the street alignment.

After the above process and the issue of the building permit the builder will need to obtain a Local Law permit nominating the dates of hoarding. If the relevant building surveyor has met his or her duties in administering the consent and report process, the hoarding permit process is relatively straight forward.

Where no building permit is required or where work is not 'building work' (eg painting not associated with a building project), the need for hoardings may be brought about by Codes of Practice, requirements of the Victorian WorkCover Authority, directives of Council officers under the Local Government Act, etc.

In assessing hoarding permit applications in the above cases Council checks suitability against likely risks and the impact on pedestrians, traffic movement and services.

Lodgement

Applications for Local Law permits for hoardings and similar structures over Council land are to be made to Council's Building Local Laws & Compliance section at the Prahran offices - Cnr Chapel & Greville Streets Prahran), by post to PO Box 21 Prahran 3181 or email building@stonnington.vic.gov.au.

Application Requirements

• A completed and signed application for hoarding permit
• A copy of any consent and report pursuant to Regulation 604(4) of the Building Regulations
• A copy of a fully dimensioned and detailed site plan

Fees

Fees (current 1/7/11) are:

• $130 (permit fee) plus $4 per square metre of space occupied up to a maximum charge of $500 per week
• in the case of hoardings for fence construction, $72 (permit fee) plus $1 per lineal metre per week

Evidence of a public liability insurance policy with minimum cover of $5,000,000 for the period of the permit.