Hume City Council subsequently unanimously voted down the permit application in May before the ZZQ Investment Trust successfully challenged the council’s decision with VCAT.
The property, once the headquarters of Broadmeadows Shire, was in reasonable condition when ZZQ Investment bought it for about $ 1.7 million, with hardwood floors, French doors and a roof intact.
The living room of the Westmeadows home when it went on sale in 2019.Credit:realestate.com.au
The condition of the house has deteriorated over the past year – almost all windows were smashed, wooden planks were torn off the floor, doors were pulled from hinges and the grass grew to knee height.
Community members wrote to Stanley Zhou, head of ZZQ Investment, on several occasions urging him to install fences to deter unwanted visitors.
So, when the temperatures hit 34 degrees around noon. At 3pm on December 30, neighbors gathered at the property while thick plumes of smoke billowed from its roof.
It took 20 firefighters 45 minutes to control the fire. A search of the site subsequently found no residents.
The living room in the month of September before the fire on the property.
A spokeswoman told police Sunday time that fire investigators considered the fire suspicious.
“An investigation into the circumstances is underway,” she said.
Zhou’s lawyer, Neil Young, said the vandalism of the property was the work of young people and that the residence and outbuildings were otherwise in the same condition as when his client bought it. Sunday time does not suggest that Mr Zhou was involved in the fire.
The outer Thursday of the home, which was damaged by the fire.Credit:Wayne Taylor
“The fire has caused nothing but cost and inconvenience [Mr Zhou], because of the resulting Hume Council security orders, ”he said, referring to the council instructing Mr Zhou to install fences on the site since the fire.
Kaylene Wilson, a community campaign coordinator against the planned hotel, said many nearby residents were devastated to hear about the damage to the building and were eager to see it repaired.
“We were against the hotel because it would deprive the area of its charm, it is a tasteless design and there was almost no consultation in the local community,” she said.
“It has been heartbreaking to see the historic building decay. I broke down in tears when I saw the fire. The council must ensure that the client rebuilds it exactly as it should be. ”
Fencing and tape were in place Thursday, but had not been before the fire on Dec. 30.Credit:Wayne Taylor
Some members of the local community were also furious over a Facebook comment posted by Hume councilor Jack Medcraft after the fire. “Well, I’m sorry to say that it looks like the whole building will be demolished as it does not look structurally sound and would cost a fortune to rebuild,” he wrote.
In another post, he wrote: “This place would not have burned down if the original decision to approve the application had been given.”
Smashed windows in the blast-exterior of the home in the months before the fire.
Cr Medcraft told Aging that if the municipality had originally approved the permit, construction would have already begun, which means that the building would be secured. Cr Medcraft was among the councilors who voted against the plans in May but who appear to have changed their minds.
In another comment, he wrote “the owners are now waiting for CCTV footage and arson report”, which led to accusations from members of the community that he was in communication with ZZQ Investment.
Hume councilor Jack Medcraft, whose comments have angered locals.Credit:Scott McNaughton
Cr Medcraft said he was a friend of mr. Zhou and had “traded with him before” because Mr Zhou owned a property in Sunbury.
“I have no involvement other than knowing the guy personally. I want the best for the city and that includes knowing who and what started the fire,” he said.
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Building inspectors have inspected the property and informed councilors that the building could be salvaged.
Kr. Kurt said the decay of the house reflected a flaw in the planning laws because the municipality had been powerless to force the owners to protect the site.
“It gives a belief that the site of a $ 13 million development was not properly secured by the owners,” he said. “If it had been done, the fire probably would not have occurred.”
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