MT HELEN and Mt Clear residents denied building permits in fire affected areas will soon be able to proceed with their applications after an announcement today that buffer zones will be created.Hancock Victorian Plantations and Castlemaine Gold have both agreed in principle to clear land between their operations and residential area.More than 170 block owners were affected by a Wildfire Management Overlay introduced last year, that meant they were unable to build in areas of potential fire risk.The legislation affected numerous block owners in the Mt Helen Sanctuary Estate as well as some on Tinworth Avenue, Mt Clear.Ballarat City Council, the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Country Fire Authority and local state government members have been working together for the past three months to come to an agreement.Council had even threatened to issue a Fire Prevention Notice to the plantation operators if a negotiated outcome could not be reached that would allow land holders to build in the area and enhance residents' safety this fire season."The two companies agreed to undertake works which satisfy the short term requirement for this coming fire season and will resolve the WMO planning issues for a majority of the land owners," Ballarat City chief executive officer Anthony Schinck said."This will resolve planning issues for most land holders, but ongoing negotiations will be necessary with some private land owners before permits can be issued to every one who wants to build in the area."We believe this is a good outcome for all involved and I am extremely hopeful that once the agreement in principle is formalised next week that land holders in the area can begin to put the frustrations and delays behind them and move on with the next stage of the process."