Get the Site Right blitz puts builders in firing line

Home builders and renovators will be the focus of this month’s Get the Site Right blitz, targeting erosion and sediment control on building and construction sites in Canterbury-Bankstown and greater Sydney.

The campaign is an initiative involving NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Parramatta River Catchment Group, Cooks River Alliance, Georges Riverkeeper, Sydney Coastal Councils Group, Department of Planning and Environment, and more than 20 councils, including Canterbury Bankstown.

Mayor Khal Asfour said home builders and renovators are required to adhere to strict soil and sediment control plans when undertaking work.

"There are no excuses for builders not to be aware of their responsibilities. It is the law and if they break the rules, they can face fines up to $8,000," he said.

"This is about protecting our waterways because if soil and sediment control plans are not followed, water quality suffers and that impacts thousands of people.

"it’s important residents also notify us if they believe a building or developer is not following their construction approval conditions, so we can investigate."

In the most recent blitz in November 2018, 51 sites were inspected in Canterbury-Bankstown, with 29 per cent found to be compliant on the first visit. Following further education, the follow-up visit saw another 49 per cent meet the requirements.

EPA Regional Metropolitan Director, Giselle Howard, said Get the Site Right is focused on minimising environmental harm.

"Up to four truckloads of soil from a building site can be washed away in a single storm, damaging vital aquatic ecosystems, so it is crucial that developers are putting the right control systems in place," she said.

"While Get the Site Right is a targeted compliance blitz, that will include the issuing of fines, what we are focused on is prevention as the cure. We want developers and builders to stop the sediment leaving their site boundaries in the first place, by putting the appropriate erosion and sediment controls in place."

For more information on erosion and sediment control, visit ourlivingriver.com.au/getthesiteright