GRANT District Council has taken action to clean up an OB Flat property after a long-running dispute.
Following an order from the state’s Environment Resources and Development Court, council sent in contractors this month to forcibly clean up the Blockers Lane “junkyard site”.
It is understood the contractors spent around seven days on the property during the massive clean-up.
Items removed from the cluttered property included a number of cars, tractors and scrap metal items, as well as truckloads of tyres.
Costs – which are yet to be calculated – will be invoiced to the property owner and a debt will be placed on the property if necessary.
The property owner has continued to question council’s actions, but declined to comment at this stage.
Council environmental services director Leith McEvoy said council’s actions were in accordance with court orders that were first issued in November 2012 with subsequent extensions.
“The ERDC held another directions hearing on December 5 to consider a request from the property owners seeking a further extension of time to undertake the required clean-up works,” Mr McEvoy said.
“A further order for an extension of time was refused by the court.
“The court was of the view that the property owners have had ample time to carry out the required works and the matter now needed to be finalised and council would probably be starting these works within the next seven days.”
Mr McEvoy said council’s first Section 84 Enforcement Notice under the Development Act 1993 requiring clean up works to be undertaken on the property was issued on October 28.
He said the property had some 10 years to comply with the enforcement notices and the court orders.
Speaking at last week’s meeting, Mr McEvoy described the clean up works as significant and included the removal of asbestos and a number of chemicals.
