Leslie Warner, Aldinga Beach homeowner, fronts court over the state of his property

Cars, junk and even a bus are among items a council has been trying to have removed from a southern suburbs property for more than two years.

Leslie Warner’s Berry Street property, pictured last year. Picture: Matt Turner

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A more than two-year battle for Onkaparinga Council to get an Aldinga Beach man to clean up his property – which has turned into a junkyard – appears to finally be nearing a conclusion.

Leslie Warner has been given a number of deadlines by the council since 2018 to clear his Berry Street home of a several cars, a bus and general junk.

Mr Warner lodged an appeal last year in the Environment, Resources and Development Court against Onkaparinga’s decision to take further action and issue a Section 84 notice requiring him to tidy up the property by March this year.

An aerial view of the Berry Street home shows the full extent of clutter in the front yard of the property. Picture: Metro Maps

But last week he withdrew the appeal.

An Onkaparinga Council spokesman confirmed the council had recently undertaken a clean-up of the property as part of enforcement action about the unsightly state of the land.

“As part of our negotiations with the owner, the appeal against council’s action was withdrawn,” he said.

“Council continues to work with the landowner in finalising the clean-up of the property.”

The ordeal began in May 2018 when the council raised concerns with Mr Warner about the unsightly state of his home.

Onkaparinga Council considered the property use had transitioned from a home to a junkyard.

Court documents showed Mr Warner, a disability pensioner, had struggled to clean up the property due to chronic pain and lack of mobility.

“I’ve never denied the fact the yard does really need to be cleaned up,” Mr Warner told the court.

“I know progress has been slow, it has slowly got quicker as time has got on.

“So I think the more stuff that gets out of the yard, the more exponential the clean up will be.”

Cars and a bus are among the rubbish at the Aldinga Beach home.

In November 2019, a final notice was sent to Mr Warner outlining a four stage clean-up timetable which would require all items removed from the yard by March this year.

Council inspections in March revealed little progress had been made and some items had been moved back onto the property.