Sea risk blocks Australia homes

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Fears over rising sea levels have prompted planning authorities in Victoria, southern Australia to reject a coastal development.

It is a decision that could affect other parts of the country.

Officials say the residential scheme at Port Fairy, 300 km (186 miles) west of Melbourne, will not go ahead because of safety concerns.

There is growing fear in Australian coastal areas about storm surges and possible inundation from rising oceans.

The Victoria state government's decision was based on a projection that sea levels will rise by 80cm (11.8 inches) over the next century.

Officials have insisted the area is also at risk from erosion and storm surges.

State authorities have set up a multi-million dollar fund to help coastal regions adapt to the challenges that could lie ahead in the future.

The mayor of Port Fairy, James Purcell, says allowing houses and apartments to be built on such a vulnerable strip of land would be irresponsible.

"It could certainly be an issue where you could consider that there may be some loss of life or certainly a difficulty in saving people. So that would be the main concern from a safety point of view," he said.

"Because this piece of land has two issues. One is that it backs onto an area which is the Moyne River, which could be subject to flooding, and also on the other side of it is actually the ocean which could be subject to inundation."

Councillor Purcell believes the decision to reject the coastal development is likely to shape the way applications for other seaside projects are handled around Australia.

In another council area south-east of Melbourne, officials have put on hold all requests to build on land that could be threatened by rising sea levels.

Further north on Queensland's Gold Coast, a company constructing a new apartment block on low-lying ground was ordered to install emergency moorings for rescue boats on the building's first floor because of concerns over the possible impact of climate change.