Goulburn Mulwaree Council investigates court proceedings against owner of St John’s Orphanage
A council in regional NSW is pushing for legal action after the owner of St John’s Orphanage refused to demolish part of the building before a deadline. But he has hit back, saying he doesn’t ‘have time for them’.
The Bowral News
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The owner of St John’s Orphanage in Goulburn has hit back at claims Goulburn Mulwaree Council will take him to court over his untimely compliance with a demolition order, saying he “doesn’t have time for them”.
John Ferrara, who also owns Goulburn Airport, says the council is just picking on “prominent people”.
The council issued an emergency order in July whereby Mr Ferrara was meant to demolish three smaller buildings at the site by October 20.
However, Mr Ferrera had not complied by the due date and the council voted to start legal proceedings in the local court.
The 1913 site, which holds historical significance, has been left to deteriorate after being bought and abandoned by Mr Ferrara in the late 90s, with squatters and vandals causing large-scale damage to the buildings, most extensively by fires in 2015 and 2016, as well as recently in June.
Due to the lack of compliance, Mr Ferrara was issued a fine of $3000, but has told The Bowral News he is not willing to pay.
“They are just picking on prominent business people, I haven’t got time for them,” Mr Ferrara said.
He also denied claims that he hadn’t complied with the demolition order of the three smaller buildings, alleging that because he had commenced the demolition work on the 28th, he had therefore met the requirements of the order, although it was past council‘s deadline.
“I have complied to the best of my ability at the moment, it‘s just that I haven’t finished doing it,” Mr Ferrara said.
“Just in case I don’t comply with all of it by a specific time, they think they can take me to court and say ‘well, you didn’t comply by the 20th.’
“I’m going to keep doing it at my own pace.”
The council has also issued a demolition order for the largest building at this site, which Mr Ferrara must do by 5pm on January 31.
However Mr Ferrara said he couldn’t comply with the order.
“I told them already it’s not going to happen so I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Mr Ferrara said.
“It requires money, right? I think they didn’t put that into the equation.
“It’s not going to be 50 cents, I think it’s going to be about three, four or $500,000. At the moment, I haven’t got it.”
In the most recent council meeting, Deputy Mayor Peter Walker said Heritage NSW approved the demolition of the site and nearby residents were happy for the building to be demolished.
“I’ve spoken to locals nearby the orphanage, and I haven’t heard one person say ‘don’t knock it over’,” Cr Walker said.
“The history is gone and now it’s just a safety issue.”
If the January 31 order is not met, the council could seek orders from the Land and Environment Court to enact the terms of the order (being demolition and remediation) and recover costs from the owner.
Cr Walker said the deadline gave the owner an opportunity to redevelop the site.
In the past, Mr Ferrara has spoken of building 75 units on the land, but is yet to lodge a development application.
The council is strongly pushing for action from the owner, saying in a statement on Thursday: “The site is dangerous, and all heritage significance has unfortunately been eroded away due to these fires with the buildings now beyond repair or restoration.
“It is very disappointing to see the property neglected, but council has sent a clear statement in that they now want the site cleaned up, and they are open to future development to make use of the land.”
The council will require significant features such as the crucifix, specific stone elements and the foundation plaque to be salvaged.