Latest reports suggest that Victorian landowners whose views are affected by new power transmission lines on neighbouring properties could receive one-off compensation payments of up to $40,000 under a plan being considered by the state government.
According to reports, the new transmission planning agency, VicGrid, has opened consultation on a scheme that would collect funds from power companies to pay communities affected by new transmission lines. Under the proposed community benefits scheme, people with lines built on their properties would receive $200,000 per kilometre – paid in annual instalments of $8,000 over 25 years. The payments would be indexed to inflation.
Meanwhile, neighbouring properties “significantly impacted” by upgrades or new transmission lines could receive a one-off payment of up to $40,000. This would include rural blocks within 400 metres of projects and urban properties within 200 metres.
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Government minister Harriet Shing said the community benefits scheme would play an important role in “developing, securing and maintaining the social license that is necessary to be able to do this work”.
“This is about partnering with communities, partnering with landholders. When we do this work to create the infrastructure necessary to deliver new energy across the grid as our population grows, it’s only fitting that we make an investment into the communities where that impact is being felt,” she told reporters on Sunday.
To be eligible for the payment, the property owners would need to demonstrate a “significant loss of visual amenity including surrounding natural landscape”.
The power lines would have to be “clearly visible from the point of the dwelling, home occupation or other site of sensitive land use”, with payments to decrease in size the further away the property was.
VicGrid was also seeking feedback on an “exceptional circumstances” clause under which property owners could be paid more than $40,000 – such as “impacts to culturally significant sites or practices”, or hospitality and tourism businesses that might lose income due to any changes.
Under the proposed scheme, funds would also be directed to regional communities and traditional owners.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
