FRANKIE DeGROOT | Local News | Contact
Betoota County Council is reportedly furious after an investigation revealed a massive increase in illegally constructed dwellings over the holiday period.
The houses, most of which appear to be small in scale and edible, appear to have been constructed between mid to late December, although most have since been demolished.
Councillor Ed Benton says he is not amused by the sneaky erections and says development laws apply to all ratepayers.
“Just because most of the council’s Compliance Officers are on leave at the end of the year doesn’t mean you won’t eventually be caught.” He said, whilst zooming in on GoogleEarth satellite images.
“I’ve seen pictures of some of these constructions and they are not structural at all. They are held together with icing for crying out loud. They have the structural integrity of a house of cards; although they are slightly stronger than a Sydney apartment block. There’s no excuse for circumventing the entire approval process or avoiding your Section 94 contributions.”
An owner of one of the illegal dwellings, who wished to remain anonymous, says the council have overstepped the boundary when it comes to enforcing development laws.
“Are these guys for real?” he asked, from his family home at 14 Berners Crescent.
“This is clearly an exempt construction because it’s only a temporary structure, like a tent. Also, because you can carry it, it’s also a mobile construction, like a caravan. In addition to this, it’s also technically baked goods so the council can fuck right off”.
