Planning and demolition update

OK so apparently the planning application, even though it’s online and has been allocated an application number, hasn’t actually been allocated to a person for processing. That will apparently take 5 weeks. Then I see in the paper that the state government is intending to change the planning laws so that those plans which comply with the council’s R-codes (which ours do) don’t need to get council approval. Which will be great for future planning purposes but not so much for those of us going through it now. So yay, but boo.

More governmental change – this time a significant increase in the landfill levy in January next year – means that there is suddenly a rush to get demolition applications in. So, add me to that rush!

I finalised some quotes yesterday and accepted one today. We’ve decided to go with Statewide Demolition. They seem pleasant enough to deal with so far. To be honest though, if I’d gotten my act together earlier I  would have ended up saving  a couple of thousand. Just goes to show that in the building industry, prices just keep going up so it doesn’t pay to hold off too much.

I was sent a number of forms to fill out, which I’ve done tonight and will send them back tomorrow to get the ball rolling. But I have a couple of questions on some of them:

• BA5 Application for Demolition Permit: Done, just need to confirm who is supposed to sign as the “applicant”.
• Verge Permit Application Form – confirm if I’m supposed to take this directly to council as the wording wasn’t clear.
• Synergy Supply Abolishment form – Confirm who needs to sign this off.
• Gas Disconnection – They’d sent me a form for ATCO Gas, which puzzled me as a) I’d never heard of them and b) our gas is supplied by Alinta. Anyway, filled this out but will query it.

Stuff I need to do tomorrow:

• Print copy of title
• Print and mark up site plan
• Contact Synergy and finalise electricity account
• Somehow get a cheque together for the verge bond. The only people I know who have a cheque book are my parents so I may have to ask them!

I don’t know if I need to contact Water Corp. No-one’s mentioned it, so maybe not.

***

On a completely different subject, former Liberal leader John Hewson had something very interesting to say the other day:

“Superannuation (or pension) funds represent the single largest pool of money in the world, more than $30 trillion, and for many people it is their biggest or second biggest asset. There is now so much money in superannuation, much of it invested in mining stocks and other climate change exposed industries, that it has the potential to bring on another financial crisis. But the lack of interest in super means most don’t realise how exposed their money is to changes in climate policy.”

This prompted me to check how my super fund was ranking in the sustainability stakes.

I got a D! Which is not good. This has finally provided the impetus for me to change my super fund. Hopefully I’ll get around to doing it this year!

I love wisteria, if only I had the patience to do this!