The so-called ‘cowboy’ developers that illegally demolished Melbourne’s historic Corkman’s Irish Pub have been jailed for a month and ordered to pay over $400,000 in fines and legal costs.
In 2016 news broke of a fire in the pub, which was not trading. Just a week later the old hotel was unceremoniously demolished over a weekend by owners Raman Shaqiri and Stefce Kutlesovski, prompting a serious backlash from community and Victorian authorities.
Originally dubbed the Carlton Inn Hotel, the pub was built in 1858. It had not been deemed worthy of a place in the Victorian Heritage Register, but there were heritage overlay restrictions in place.
Following the demolition the Victorian government wanted Shaqiri and Kutlesovski to rebuild the pub using the rubble on the site, but legal complications arose with the enforcement order.
The developers were ordered to clear the site so it could be turned into a public park. They pleaded guilty to breaches relating to building and planning laws and were heavily penalised – subsequently fined more than $1 million, but also becoming subject to legal action by Melbourne City Council and State Government.
Both branches of government pursued having the men found guilty of contempt of court for failing to comply with the VCAT orders forcing them to ready the site for the park, and VCAT concurred.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Shaqiri and Kutlesovski were fined $150,000 and ordered to pay the legal costs of State Government and Melbourne Council, amounting to around $250,000.
Defence council pleaded the jail time was unreasonable as the complainants had not even sought such an outcome. They report being “extremely surprised” by the sentence and will be lodging an appeal.
Planning Minister Richard Wynne praised the outcome, offering that the pair had trashed Victorian heritage and “shirked their legal obligations” at all stages.
Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith also backed the VCAT sentence but went further to call on the State Government to compulsorily acquire the property, to ensure “these cowboy developers don’t make a cent” from the brazen activity.
