Owners stung by compliance issues

A number of long-standing, unapproved buildings in Esperance has resulted in a blame game between the Shire, property owners and industry stakeholders.

Properties not compliant with building standards that may have gone unnoticed for several years are now being identified, causing a headache for many unsuspecting owners going through settlement.

Owners subject to retrospective building approvals are now being charged three times the usual fee, a concern underlined at a meeting last week between representatives from the Shire, the Building Commission and the local industry.

Shire president Malcolm Heasman admitted the council had only "just started applying the letter of the law", but denied the council was wholly to blame for the discontent in the community.

"The Shire hasn't always had a compliance officer, so yes, there's probably been circumstances when the finger could be pointed (at the Shire)," he said.

"But I think it is totally unfair to point the finger at the Shire and say 'it is your problem, you fix it'.

"I believe it is an endemic issue within the industry."

During last Friday's meeting, attended by more than 30 people, questions about the policy surrounding unapproved buildings were put to the Shire.

As many property owners affected by the crackdown were not the owners at the time of construction, Cr Heasman said the Shire would look at whether the policy could be amended on a case-by-case basis.

Gary Ramm of Ramm's Building Design said while many property owners were feeling "ripped off" by the situation, the council was not the "ogre" responsible.

"The Shire is a big target for sure," he said.

"But we all have to work on this together … otherwise it will just be a bigger mess."

He said it was a controversial issue affecting many homeowners.

The Shire is expected to hold more building forums while a "pragmatic policy approach" is discussed to address the issue.