The deck stays but at a cost to owner
A BANORA Point man is $2600 out of pocket after an eight-month stoush with Tweed Shire Council over a balcony.
Darren Williams, 42, pleaded not guilty to development without consent at Murwillumbah Court on Wednesday, but was convicted of the offence ex-parte.
Williams erected balustrades and a roof over a pre-existing deck at his home in March this year, which the council said equalled the erection of a building without a development application.
The council issued a penalty notice for the development on April 9 and a day later advised retrospective approval was unlikely, despite the sturdy workmanship of the deck.
Williams emailed the council, advising he would see them in court - on April 11 - and seven days later they issued an order to demolish the building.
Williams fronted the Land and Environment Court on August 8, with his appeal partially upheld and the council ordered to modify the order to allow reconstruction of the deck, compliant with conditions.
