A prominent Wollongong development company has been slammed by an independent panel for illegally building an apartment complex without the proper approval.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The five-storey block at 21 Bourke Street in North Wollongong has been complete but sitting empty for months, as developers have been unable to get approval to build “modifications” they have already made to windows, balconies and privacy screens.
Consultants for Realta Enterprises this week appeared before Wollongong’s Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel over the situation, which has left buyers in limbo and residents worried about their privacy and future development.
Resident Jim Montgomery told the panel his privacy was affected by the unapproved works and was worried allowing illegal works retrospectively would set a precedent for developers.
Speaking on behalf of his family, which owns a neighbouring house, Adam Hanna said the contentious block would limit their capacity to develop in the future because the apartment was so close to the property boundary.
“The council has rules which should be adhered to, and you can’t have two sets of rules: one for a big developer who can get away with it and one for the small time guy who tries to put his fence up and gets crucified by the council,” he said.
But John Volcanovski said he wanted the unlawful works approved as he had bought in the block after seeing it partially built.
“Me and my wife were very happy, we thought this was going to be a joyous occasion, this is our dream home,” he said. “I need to move in, I’ve got my house sold and if I don’t settle by June 30 my buyer is lost for my current house.”
Panel chair Alison McCabe said Mr Volcanovski’s problem had been caused by the builder and would need to be sorted out privately.
Realta representative Steve Hughes acknowledged developers had “made an error” and been “somewhat presumptive” about getting approval, but said they were “currently paying the price by having a building sit there for five months”.
Ms McCabe had “little sympathy”, saying the badly planned approach had resulted in the building’s entryway being “a disaster” and installation of “horrible” features. “This is a pretty poor outcome,” she said, noting the panel would attempt to “make the best of a bad situation”, and would publish its recommendation to the council in the coming days.
In a report to the meeting, council staff had recommended Realta’s modification application be approved.
The council has final determination of the approval.