Big price for clearing vegetation

A DEVON Meadows resident has been fined $7500 after he pleaded guilty to clearing two acres of native vegetation from his property.
The City of Casey successfully prosecuted the resident at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 16 April. Along with the fine, he was also ordered to cover the council’s legal costs of $5750.
The magistrate indicated the fine would have been $12,000 if the resident had pleaded not guilty, the council said.
Casey’s acting manager of planning Michael Pollard said the council had notified the resident that he needed a permit to remove any native vegetation, but the resident failed to comply.
“Council takes planning breaches, such as the clearing of native vegetation without a permit, very seriously and will act accordingly,” Mr Pollard said.
“Residents wanting to undertake any clearing of native vegetation on their properties must first check with the council to see if they need to apply for a planning permit.”
Casey mayor Lorraine Wreford said the City of Casey placed a high importance on protecting Casey’s natural environment.
“It is disappointing that one resident has caused irreversible damage to such a large area of Casey’s natural environment,” Cr Wreford said.