Plan denied: fresh blow for building once deemed an 'illegal' house

It is a fresh blow for people connected to the property after the council brought "enforcement action" over a property allegedly used without proper planning permissions.

Applicants had asked the council for permission to keep two previously-built storage buildings on a Steins Road property. Both had been built without council sign-off.

Here's a map showing the site:

Council officers described that structure as part car port, part annexures/huts once lived in illegally.

The other building was a shed.

Councillors have now dismissed refreshed plans that would have allowed people to use the buildings to store equipment.

Cr Julie Sloan said the buildings were too close to bushland and too many trees would need to be removed to make them safe from fires.

She said council officers had too many questions about the latest plans.

"Information submitted to support the application can be described as limited at best," Cr Sloan said.

She also said the people behind the application had not sought permission for a road on site.

Cr Greg Penna said his vote was shaped by things that had happened on the property in the past.

That included "ignoring planning issues, retrospective requests, location of buildings and vegetation removal," he said.