Queensland homeowner forced to ‘raze’ 1.5 meters from luxury home after neighbor wins battle over small 40cm gap between them
A family was forced to “raze” 1.5 meters from their newly built luxury home after a neighbor won a battle for the space of just 40cm between the two homes.
Work on the waterfront home of Canadian expats Kathy Morin and Devon Matsalla at Coomera Waters, on Queensland’s Gold Coast, was halted by the dispute last January.
The small gap between their home and the upper floor of the recently built neighboring property owned by Dreamworld CEO Greg Yong and his wife Tanya meant the builders could not install scaffolding to help complete the new home .
But an investigation by Gold Coast City Council found Yong’s building plans “constituted a flagrant breach of a setback requirement”, A current affair reported.
The Yongs had previously said they believed their plans had been approved, but since the council’s decision, the company behind the Yongs’ home has filed a “minor variation application” seeking retrospective approval.
Work on the waterfront home of Canadian expats Kathy Morin and Devon Matsalla (pictured) at Coomera Waters, on Queensland’s Gold Coast, was halted by the dispute last January.
This “minor change” was anything but minor: it meant a whopping 1.5 meters had to be cut from the Yongs’ house, and they had six months to do it.
Major and expensive renovation work has begun, to the delight of Ms. Morin and Mr. Matsalla.
“Finally, justice has been served. We had been waiting for so long and we were so stressed,” said Ms. Morin.
Mr Matsalla is, however, keen to ensure good relations with his neighbors, saying: “They followed the council’s orders.
“So we’re very pleased and we thank them for doing the work and following the rules.”
Ms Morin welcomed the council’s decision in their favour, saying it “shows there is a policing mechanism at the end of the day”.
Her husband hoped their success would help others who find themselves in similarly difficult situations.
“I hope other people will be inspired by our case. And to the certifiers and builders, we hope they will be inspired to follow the rules,” he said.
The excited couple hope to finally complete their forever home and move in early next year.
A family was forced to ‘raze’ 1.5 meters of their newly built luxury home after a neighbor won a battle for the space of just 40cm (pictured) between the two homes.
