Perth Voice Interactive

IT’S the last thing the residents of Barlee Street ever wanted to see again—a sheet-pile driver rolling onto the site at the corner of Beaufort Street to start hammering.

Five years ago reverberations from the same kind of machinery were blamed for destroying Lyndon Rodgers’ office next door.

With earth-shattering power, sheet-pile drivers smash steel sheets into the ground to shore up ditch walls.

Mr Rodgers’ damages case has consumed five years of his life and he says he was forced to sell to cover legal fees. Residents from as far as 150m away reported damage to homes with lines spidering up walls and spas springing leaks.

The Voice was told that when a council inspector went out to check on the site he reportedly suffered vertigo from the vibrations and had to sit down with a cup of tea. Vincent council even considered banning the method.

But now the sheet piling’s back in an effort to dewater the site, and work’s been going on without authorisation.

The site is still owned by Steve De Mol (who’s tied up in litigation with his old builder Jamac and other minions over who’s responsible) and now Danny Psaros is on board as the new builder to finish the mixed office/apartment block.

Very unhappy council CEO Len Kosova confirms the works are unauthorised and says his staff issued an order to cease the sheet piling.

“I have a zero tolerance approach to that stuff,” he says. “Our staff went out almost immediately, we spoke to the relevant contractors and site supervisors there, and they advised they would not cease sheet piling.

“Because they advised they weren’t going to cease, staff drafted emergency stop-work orders which I signed and were issued yesterday.

“My staff have told the developer that if they persist, we will prosecute. They must stop unauthorised works because what they’re doing is contravening legislation.”

by DAVID BELL