Developer’s empty building in Reservoir could stay until 2021
Neighbours want something done about an ugly, half-built structure that’s blighted a small Reservoir street for 10 years. But the strange plans for the site hint at why it sits unfinished.
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If you’ve driven through Reservoir in the past 10 years, chances are you’ve seen it.
A mix of half-built walls, wooden supports and a towering metal frame. It’s the mystery on Macartney St.
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Last sold in August 2009 for $440,000, the property came with plans for three townhouses.
A permit was granted six years before that, in 2003.
The block was later subdivided and the townhouses on 1A and 1B Macartney St were finished.
They are now occupied.
But 1C Macartney St remains incomplete. And no wonder.
The design for the first floor shows a pointy end just 2.66m wide.
A tiny 2.3sq m courtyard on the ground floor was “to be used as a retreat”.
And the rooftop terrace would be around 20 metres from the planned new Reservoir skyrail.
Council documents show the owner received approval to construct a three-storey, two-bedroom townhouse with a rooftop terrace in 2016.
But later council reports then revealed the building wasn’t finished because of “structural engineering issues”.
Thirteen objections were received for issues such as poor open space and inadequate living areas.
The plans showed a ground floor of 48.1sq m and a first floor of 77.1sq m.
Neighbour Giuseppe De Petro said he last saw the owner “a few years ago”.
Mr De Petro said when he asked him what he planned to do with the site, the owner blamed its state on a disagreement with Darebin Council.
Mr De Petro wants something done about it.
“It looks bad, it’s not safe. You can’t sell it, you can’t rent it. What are you going to do?” he said.
Darebin Mayor Susan Rennie said the council contacted the owner on March 22 to ensure the structure posed no safety risk.
But the council was not told why the development isn’t finished.
Under planning laws the owner has until September 13, 2021 to complete the development.
Until then, council officers will monitor the structure to ensure the partial construction is kept safe.
Darebin Appropriate Development Association spokeswoman Maria Poletti said their group asked questions about the “eyesore” years ago, but no one knew what happened.
She said unfinished buildings could cause damage to nearby properties and become unsafe.
“If there is a real need for housing that councils and governments talk about, they should be moving to ensure blocks are finished sooner rather than later,” she said.
“I think it’s really wrong and frustrating that blocks lay empty for so long.”
The owner could not be reached for comment.
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