Rajbeer Khangura, Akwinder Kaur guilty of dodgy retaining wall
An Ipswich husband-and-wife’s first retaining wall failed, so they built a new one over a storm drain, which also failed, neither having approval.
Police & Courts
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An Ipswich husband-and-wife duo have been slugged in court for building a retaining wall too high and over a large council stormwater drain without permission.
Augustine Heights couple Rajbeer Khangura and Akwinder Kaur pleaded guilty in Ipswich Magistrates Court last week to one charge contravening a council enforcement notice.
The court heard the tip-off came in February 2019 from a neighbour concerned that the wall was beginning to buckle and fail due to additional works at the property, built in 2017, and had been built too close to an existing retaining wall.
Ipswich City Council solicitor Simon Wall told the court an original retaining wall constructed by the couple had “failed” and they were replacing it with an additional wall which had “also failed”.
The wall was also discovered to be too high and constructed over a council stormwater drain.
The necessary approvals had not been obtained, the court heard.
In July 2019, the couple were issued with a show cause notice followed by an enforcement notice on August 31, 2019 instructing the couple to either return the land to its natural state or get the necessary approvals.
Neither mode of rectification was complied with, the court heard.
The couple were charged on August 25 last year.
Mr Wall said council conceded no “major” works continued on the wall following the original February 2019 complaint but that “minor” stabilisation and other works continued unabated.
Mr Khangura told the court he “presumed the builders were doing the right thing”.
He also claimed delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic affected he and his wife’s ability to rectify the issue.
Mr Khangura noted he had engaged new builders in the past few weeks and the wall was “still sitting as it is”, awaiting the conclusion of today’s matter.
He told the court he was a transport allocator on about $80,000 a year while his wife was a stay-at-home mum to their two young children.
Mr Khangura said the 4 Mellor St residence was their first home together.
The duo were fined $6500 and ordered they pay $707.20 in costs.
No convictions were recorded.
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