Port of Melbourne Owner fined $52,000 for demolishing 'unique' home

BillV · 17th May, 2009

so if you are eager to buy a development site and make a buck
be careful because that old building could be more valuable than you think.

The owner of a property subjected to the highest protection possible under a local council heritage overlay has been penalised more than $52,000 for illegally demolishing the unique Port Melbourne house.

Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday heard neighbours tried to stop three men with an excavator and a chainsaw wrecking the 68-year-old property early on a Sunday morning.

Magistrate Phillip Goldberg was told the men were "verbally aggressive" towards neighbours who congregated outside the Barak Road home on June 29 last year and asked them to stop.

Prosecutor John Hoey said Nick Kingsford, owner of the attached adjoining house, pleaded with the men to stop but they ignored his requests until a council officer arrived.

Mr Hoey said two of the men were a son and nephew of Hodo Zeqaj, 66, who had arranged and authorised the demolition.

He described the demolition as a "deliberate act" by Zeqaj who had avoided the site - an allegation he denied - and "allowed others to act on his behalf".

Zeqaj, of Avondale Heights, whose wife, son and nephew also face charges to be contested, pleaded guilty to four charges that included demolishing without a planning and a building permit.

Mr Hoey, for the City of Port Phillip, said the property is located in a unique estate known as Fisherman's Bend and was built by the Housing Commission between 1939 and 1942 after a design competition.
He said that as the quality of architectural and urban design was never repeated, the property and others in the estate had heritage, design and development overlays.

Mr Hoey said it was "difficult to imagine a more blatant and significant breach" of the laws.

Defence lawyer Graeme Steart said Zeqaj had planned a double townhouse for the site and decided it was better to "pull it down" and present "a nice clean site to work with".
Click to expand...

more
http://www.domain.com.au/Public/Ar...52,000 for demolishing ++39;unique++39; home

Log in or Sign up

Port of Melbourne Owner fined $52,000 for demolishing 'unique' home

BillV Well-Known Member

Log in or Sign up

Port of Melbourne Owner fined $52,000 for demolishing 'unique' home

BillV Well-Known Member

Useful Searches