By Clay Lucas
The "cowboy" developers who illegally knocked down Carlton's Corkman Irish Pub have apologised for their demolition of the 159-year-old hotel, and have said they will rebuild it.
They have also hired well-connected Labor lobbyists and spin doctors to help them negotiate with the Andrews government.
Late on Thursday afternoon, Raman Shaqiri and Stefce Kutlesovski sent a letter to Planning Minister Richard Wynne saying they were sorry for knocking down the historic pub without warning.
"We want to make absolutely clear that we will rebuild the building at our expense," the pair said in their letter, which was given to The Age by Labor-linked lobbyist Erik Locke and former Labor lord mayoral candidate Will Fowles, whose firm Piper Communications is also working for them.
The Corkman Irish pub in Carlton, built in 1857, as it was last October. Credit: James Bowering
The pair also said that a fire at the Carlton pub the week before it was demolished was not of their doing.
"We do not know what the cause of the fire was beyond the fact that we had nothing to do with it," their letter said.
Mr Wynne on Thursday applied with Melbourne City Council to the state planning tribunal to force Mr Shaqiri and Mr Kutlesovski's company 160 Leicester Pty Ltd to rebuild the pub.
An aerial view of the site the day after the pub was demolished on 15-16 October. Credit: Simon Schluter
He also placed a new planning overlay on the Carlton land, forbidding its owners from developing anything except a two-storey venue of similar size and style to the demolished pub.
Mr Wynne said the letter from the developers changed nothing, and that he would continue his action in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal seeking orders to have the pub rebuilt within a year.
The Carlton pub was almost 100 years old when this photo was taken in 1957. Credit: State Library of Victoria
"We will not withdraw the VCAT action launched with Melbourne City Council," he said. "We want an enforceable order on the pub owners to reinstate the building within 12 months."
"The VCAT action, combined with new controls to stop anything besides a pub from being built, are the right course of action after these developers blatantly disrespected the rules."
Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari, left, and CFMEU boss John Sekta in front of pub's remains. Unions last week banned construction on the site. Credit: Justin McManus
Mr Shaqiri and Mr Kutlesovski have supplied documentation to the minister indicating they had significant concerns about the damage to the building wrought by the fire the week before they knocked it down.
They also concede in their letter that Melbourne City Council "did not inspect the property prior to demolition".
Shaq Demolition knocks down Carlton's historic Corkman Irish Pub.
Mr Shaqiri is a registered builder and demolisher – and is required under the terms of his license to be aware of strict rules surrounding major building works of this type.
The company ignored a stop work order issued by Melbourne City Council's Municipal Building Surveyor Joseph Genco, and left behind asbestos among the rubble that remained once their work was done at the Carlton site.
Shaq Demolition midway through knocking down the pub.
But their letter said they had ignored the rules because of a combination of "legal advice, engineering advice, weather forecast and injury litigation".
They conceded another project they had been involved in had resulted in a wall collapse that had injured a pedestrian. "This matter is currently before the courts," their letter said.
The letter said that it had not made commercial sense to have demolished the pub.
"Our intention was to have the property tenanted and to hold the site for five to 10 years, prior to exploring future, modest redevelopment," they wrote.
They said knocking down the pub was "the wrong course of action and has pitted us against the community, government decision makers and other stakeholders".
The pair said they had been "naive" not to front the public earlier, but had "hoped to deal with this through formal processes".
Before Mr Wynne announced he was seeking orders against them, the pair had proven hard to contact. Despite having knocked down the pub on October 15 and 16, calls to Mr Shaqiri's mobile went either unanswered or answered by a man claiming not to be him.