By Laura Green
THE next Kingston Council is being asked to consider the local ban on fire pits.
At the 21 September ordinary meeting, the last for the current term, councillors recognised the need to begin a “discourse” on the topic. They voted to begin community consultation about the current ban, but a vote to repeal the law will not be held until after council elections next month.
Cr Steve Staikos said learning about the law was a “surprise” to many Kingston residents, who are allowed to light barbecues with fuel such as charcoal, wood and briquettes, but are unable to light fire pits using any of these same materials.
Cr Tamara Barth said the law “stems from the days when we would have had those cinder block incinerators in the backyard, I can remember my father would burn our rubbish and we have come a long way since. It’s one of those things that can easily be overlooked.”
“We live in a metropolis and neighbours don’t want excess smoke coming across the back fence and tarnishing their fresh washing on the line, but in the same token people need to be free to enjoy the amenity of their backyard,” she said.
Councillors also mentioned the increased need for residents to use their backyards for activity during winter, since various stages of COVID-19 restrictions have been in place since March and the public are stuck inside for most of the day.
Cr Geoff Gledhill recognised people with respiratory illnesses could face problems if more people began lighting at-home fires, but acknowledged the risk was low because fire pits produce less smoke than the old incinerators previously found in many Melbourne residences.
Kingston Council has entered caretaker mode before next month’s election, restricting any major changes to local operations or laws.
Council returns to its normal duties following the elections, where the subject of fire pits can be raised again for further debate at a 30 November council meeting.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 30 September 2020