Tear down the Vellar mansions: residents

By Laurel-Lee Roderick
Updated November 5 2012 - 9:11pm, first published July 12 2009 - 10:23am
Corrimal Action for Rehabilitation of Our Escarpment's Rod Plant (right) addresses residents at a community meeting in Corrimal. Pictures: GREG TOTMAN
Corrimal Action for Rehabilitation of Our Escarpment's Rod Plant (right) addresses residents at a community meeting in Corrimal. Pictures: GREG TOTMAN
Residents want the partially-constructed mansions demolished.
Residents want the partially-constructed mansions demolished.

Corrimal residents gathered yesterday to renew their calls for the demolition of two mansions partially constructed on escarpment land owned by a Vellar family company, two weeks before administrators decide on the fate of the site.The zoning of the property on Glenlea St at Corrimal will be considered in the final instalment of the draft Wollongong Local Environmental Plan to go before Wollongong City Council administrators on July 28.The site is owned by family company Vic Vellar Nominees. One of the company's three directors is developer Frank Vellar, who was found by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to have engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" in unrelated hearings involving Wollongong City Council. The Corrimal site was not the subject of any ICAC hearings and Mr Vellar only became a director of Vic Vellar Nominees in 1998 - four years after the two dwellings were approved by the council.There has been intense community debate and several investigations into the property after it emerged the houses may have been constructed on an area of the escarpment not permitted for dwellings. Last month, a structural report commissioned by the council found the footings on the two dwellings did not comply with either the Australian Standard, which applied now, or when the development was approved in 1993.Mr Vellar and project consultant Terry Wetherall declined to comment when the reports were released. But Mr Vellar had previously told the Mercury: "The whole thing is valid."Corrimal Action for Rehabilitation of Our Escarpment member Rod Plant said the community had been protesting about the use of the Corrimal site for more than a decade and yesterday's meeting showed how strongly they felt about the issue."We will be trying to mobilise as many people as possible to come along to the two forums on July 28 - the one at Wollongong Town Hall and the public access forum," Mr Plant said."Over the years a lot of people have become frustrated and cynical. But the community has been very strong from the start with 88 per cent wanting the houses demolished."He said more than 200 people had signed a petition against the development on the site and they wanted the property owner to be held liable and to rehabilitate the site.

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