Over the past few years, some residents have contacted us about undergrounding their powerlines.

The Undergrounding Powerlines Policy is intended to provide a clear and transparent framework for how Council could prioritise and support the undergrounding of powerlines in Bayside.

All electricity within Victoria is owned and maintained by AusNet Services.

Once the Policy is adopted by Council, there will be a two main ways that the community can express interest in undergrounding of powerlines in their street.

Option 1 – Seek the support of the neighbours and lodge a petition to Council that it consider the undergrounding of powerlines in a specific location be delivered through a Special Charge Scheme. This is the “Special Rate and Special Charge Scheme” funding model.

Option 2 – Seek the support of all neighbours and advise Council that you wish for the undergrounding of powerlines to take place in your street, and these works will be paid for by yourself and your neighbours, independently. This is the “Full cost to be covered by community” funding model.

Currently, no.

The Undergrounding Powerlines Policy is the first step towards this. Subject to Council’s adoption of the Policy, we will update our Project Management Framework to enable the early consideration of undergrounding powerlines as part of civil infrastructure replacement and renewal projects.

For private property, requirements for powerline undergrounding have been embedded in planning permits for multi-dwelling developments since December 2019. These planning permits include conditions requiring all basic services including water, electricity, gas, sewerage, telephone, NBN and cable TV to be installed underground.

For Council projects, under the draft Policy, relevant Managers will be responsible for supporting the prioritisation of undergrounding powerlines into Council’s project management framework and ensure projects meet agreed objectives and requirements.

The Manager City Assets and Presentation is responsible for deploying the policy in the delivery of Council’s infrastructure assets and integrating the intent of this policy into Asset Service Level Standards.

If Council receives particular interest in the undergrounding of powerlines form a particular location or residents’ group, the option of a Special Charge Scheme would be made available.

The process of initiating a Special Rate or Special Charge Scheme project is guided by requirements in the Local Government Act 1989 and the Special Rates and Charges Ministerial Guidelines September 2004.

A draft Special Rate and Special Charge Policy has been designed to provide clarity on the consultation process, level of support required, and method and timeframes for collecting contributions through a Special Charge Scheme. Find out more.

A special charge scheme is a funding method that enables Council to recover the cost of infrastructure works from property owners who will gain a special benefit from the works.

Introducing a Special Rate and Special Charge Scheme would enable Council to support the delivery of projects that benefit a select group of property owners, who would pay for part or all of the works over time through a charge on their rates notice. These projects may otherwise not be funded by Council and therefore not be possible.

The process of initiating a Special Rate or Special Charge Scheme project is guided by requirements in the Local Government Act 1989 and the Special Rates and Charges Ministerial Guidelines September 2004.

A Special Charge Scheme could apply to projects such as:

• Undergrounding powerlines
• Constructing or sealing roads, laneways or footpaths
• Easement drainage works

A draft Special Rate and Special Charge Policy has been designed to provide clarity on the consultation process, level of support required, and method and timeframes for collecting contributions through a Special Charge Scheme.

Under the draft Policy, for a Special Charge Scheme to progress beyond initial request it must have the support of at least 80% of affected property owners. Exceptions to this include where drainage is required for public health reasons or Council is a significant contributor to the scheme.

You can find out more about the draft Policy here.