Landowner charged with second hefty penalty for demolishing heritage house

A Hawthorn property owner, Mr Shimen Gurevich, and his construction company, Serious Developments Pty Ltd, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to multiple charges under the Planning and Environment Act and the Sentencing Act for failing to obtain the appropriate planning approvals before demolishing a house in a Heritage Overlay.

Mr Gurevich and Serious Developments Pty Ltd were ordered by the Magistrates Court to pay $59,352 in penalties for the illegal actions.

Previously in May 2016, Mr Gurevich and Serious Developments Pty Ltd had been found guilty for partially demolishing the house. The property owner was placed on good behaviour bond for 12 months and the company was fined a total of $7252.

The demolished house was believed to have been constructed as early as 1869, one of the earliest houses in Hawthorn. Planning permission is required from Council to demolish, construct, alter or extend buildings and structures in the Heritage Overlay.

Council is committed to protecting the City’s heritage and takes breaches of the Planning and Environment Act very seriously. We carried out 500 planning investigations last year.

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