Stop building new homes until drainage fixed, Huntly residents demand

The call came as they showed members of the state opposition around the suburb on Monday, April 8.

They say they were prepared for once-in-a-lifetime flooding when they bought homes on a floodplain, but recent developments are directing huge amounts of water on their properties every year.

"When my husband built, he knew he was building in a flood zone, but it was a one in 100 years. In the first 20-odd years, we had three floods," Trudi Marshall said.

Ms Marshall says her house is now unsellable.

"Everyone knows it as the one that just floods. They feel sorry for us, but nothing gets done," Ms Marshall said.

Ms Marshall's neighbour Kylie Ware said her insurance premium was double what it had been last year, on top of a number of additional expenses she has been forced to pay for herself.

"We've bought pipes to go under our back area, that we've supplied. We've supplied our own bobcat. We're going to have to sell it to pay the insurance next year."

She said she has received minimal support from the council.

"The council put on Facebook the week before they knew the rain was coming this time - they said yell out if you need a hand or if stuff needs cleaning," Ms Ware said.

"They come out and say, well, nothing really. 'Do what you can to protect your house - we're not going to help you.'"

Tim McCurdy, the state shadow minister for water and consumer affairs, said existing residents were paying the price for new developments.

"Existing houses that haven't been built up, they're the ones that cop it every time the rain comes through," Mr McCurdy said.

"This is not just when it's a major flood event. These are minor events. This is 40 and 50 millimetres that is putting people underwater. And that's not fair on those who have been here 20, 30 years."

Bendigo's council is responsible for approving many of the planning permits for new developments, including those Huntly residents say are directing flood waters into their homes.

Its director of presentations and assets, Brian Westley, said comprehensive flood and drainage plans are submitted by developers and approved by the city council and North Central Catchment Management Authority.

"Recent flood events have been of a particularly intense nature, which would put urban infrastructure anywhere under significant pressure," he said.

"A consistent theme in the Huntly area is that many homes that have been flood affected were built some time ago, so they have not been built to a certain standard, including not being built above the known flood level in a one per cent flood event."