The ACT government says it can do little or nothing to enforce the clean-up of a building site abandoned by workers almost a year ago and now described by neighbours as "an accident waiting to happen".
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Work on the property at the corner of Langtree Crescent and Hillcrest Street in Crace stalled when Sublime Constructions and Development went into liquidation owing more than $4.5 million early last year.
Nearby residents, including parents with young children, say the block has not been secured, that it is a haven for vermin and possibly snakes, that it is a fire hazard and that the piles of earth and debris on the footpath put pedestrians at risk.
"(This is a) dangerous site, (an) accident waiting to happen," Ivan Coric, who lives just around the corner from the Hillcrest Street development, said in a written complaint form lodged with the Environment and Planning Directorate on November 5 last year.
He told EPD he believed the derelict building site did not comply with the development approval requirements and that it constituted an unclean leasehold.
Mr Coric and his wife Anisa have two children, one aged four and the other six months, and are concerned for their safety.
He is also speaking out on behalf of his neighbours, some of whom find it hard to deal directly with government departments because of language differences.
"A lot of people don't even know where to start when negotiating the bureaucratic maze."
Mr Coric said his initial complaints had been shunted from pillar to post and nobody, including EPD, the Office of Regulatory Services, WorkSafe ACT or even Planning Minister Mick Gentleman's office wanted to take it on.
"When I spoke to ORS they called me back and said to contact either the EPD or Worksafe," he said. "EPD said it was an ORS problem. I then contacted Simon Corbell's office and a man there referred me to Mick Gentleman's office. I'm still waiting on a reply (from the minister)."
An EPD spokeswoman confirmed Mr Coric had lodged a complaint on November 5.
"The block was assessed against EPD's unclean leasehold criteria and it was determined the property was not an unclean leasehold," she said.
A block does not qualify as "unclean" unless more than 30 per cent of the undeveloped portions of the block that can be seen from the street are covered with items.
EPD said Mr Coric was told directorate staff would be taking no further action and had referred the matter to TAMS city rangers, who have jurisdiction over unleased territory land, on the same day he lodged his written complaint.
"If the builder fails to complete the house within the contracted timeframe the owner may seek a remedy, often liquidated damages, for breach of contract," the EPD spokeswoman said.
"In most cases the ACT government does not have any statutory power to intervene."
EPD does not keep a record of abandoned sites and the spokeswoman said Sublime's liquidators were not required to ensure Sublime's contractual obligations (to either finish the build or clean up the site) were met.
TAMS was responsible for footpath obstructions and, according to the spokeswoman, there was no Worksafe requirement to fence an abandoned site.
"ACT Fire and Rescue can be contacted direct if neighbours feel that there is an evident fire hazard (and) removal of snakes from a property can be undertaken by ACT Parks and Conservation."
