Land preparation works on residential subdivisions
The new Regulations set the permissible work hours for early land clearing/road preparation work on residential subdivisions. The key changes are to the work hours permitted on a Saturday.
Allowable work hours on a Saturday depend on the location and type of site:
• For infill developments, small/single-lot subdivisions and housing construction — allowed from 9am on Saturdays.
• For new subdivision land preparation work in designated growth areas or at the fringe of metropolitan Melbourne or rural centres — allowed from 7am on Saturdays, with some restrictions.
Sites starting at 7am must meet certain buffer conditions. These enable critical-path work while minimising noisier work between 7am and 9am.
No early work is permitted closer than 35 m from residences
Between 35 and 200 m distance, limited equipment can be used from 7 am Saturday:
• earthmoving machinery (such as graders or excavators)
• concrete trucks
• self-propelled, single-drum vibrating rollers
• non-vibrating compaction machinery.
At this distance, noisier equipment must not be used before 9am; this means all other types of compaction plant (e.g. double drum vibrating roller) and impacting, vibrating or rotating tools and implements (for example, a rock breaker attached to an excavator).
A time limit applies to 35-200m works
Within this distance from homes, infrastructure work from 7—9am on Saturdays may only continue for a period of 20 weeks. Beyond this period, remaining work must start from 9am.
More than 200m from the property boundary, noisier equipment may also be used from 7am:
• impacting, vibrating or rotating implements
• all types of compaction equipment
• other tools such as jackhammers, drills etc.
Pile drivers must not be used before 9am.
Note: After 9am on Saturdays, the buffer requirements do not apply.
For further information, please see Noise from Large Residential Subdivision or Urban Development Sites (EPA publication 1264).