GOULBURN Mulwaree Council is seeking to give the legal hurry up to an unfinished motel at Goulburn airport once described by Mayor Paul Stephenson as part of a "dog's breakfast" of unfinished work.
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Councillors unanimously passed a resolution at last Tuesday night's council meeting to seek advice on legal avenues available to require developer, John Ferrara, to complete the motel, which has been under construction since 1991.
"This building has taken so long, I am concerned," Cr Margaret O'Neill said.
"I am asking for legal action because it has come to the point where something should be done. It is time for Council to take the bit between its teeth and show people that they only have a certain amount of time to complete developments."
Environment and planning director, Chris Berry, said he was unclear on the age of conditions on the motel and that was why he had strongly suggested a legal opinion.
He said Council had just recently received an application to modify the original DA to also include a public entertainment area, licensed premises and a temporary structure.
"I won't be bringing a report back on that (to Council) until we get a legal opinion," Mr Berry said.
Cr Max Hadlow said someone had told him that a person was living in the uncompleted motel.
"It is second hand information, but can we check whether it's true and if so, whether it is outside the approval conditions?" he said.
A report tendered to Council detailed a long history for the DA, stretching back to February 1991 when Mulwaree Shire Council granted conditional consent for 10 motel units, flight facilities, office and training rooms.
Work started in March 1992, but in March 1995 Mr Ferrara lodged another DA to add 10 units, approval for which was issued in April that year.
Three more building applications and a DA were lodged up until 1998 for various additions. Work on the site started again in October 2001.
Numerous letters to the developer from Mulwaree Shire requesting work in line with the plans were not answered, according to the report.
An order issued by Mulwaree Shire in October 2002 to complete the development within 13 months also went unanswered.
"There is a file a foot thick on all of this at council. It's not like we've just taken this action out of the blue," Mulwaree Shire Mayor Paul Stephenson said at the time.
A series of unfinished developments at the facility at the time prompted him liken the facility's appearance to a "dog's breakfast."
Mr Ferrara declined comment when contacted last week.
