A BARANDUDA couple faces a $30,000 legal bill because of a paperwork bungle and a defiant Wodonga Council.
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Land sold to Peter and Jenny Kiene in the Valley View Estate eight years ago did not include documents that limited further subdivisions.
The couple knew no different and as recently as two years ago they were told they could chop their 5.3ha lot into 700sq m blocks.
Wodonga Council has admitted the documents were not attached to the land titles and lost an appeal to stop the subdivision but hasn’t given up the fight.
Even Mayor Rod Wangman has got involved.
He has written a strongly worded letter to the couple saying the council will seek to overturn a VCAT decision granting them permission to subdivide their John Boyes Drive property into four lots.
Mr Kiene said the couple bought the property with a view to developing a future investment to provide for their children’s futures and education expenses.
Already they have spent $16,000 on development and legal fees.
Mr Kiene says the latest appeal could cost about $30,000.
He argues Wodonga Council will spend large amounts of ratepayers’ money on legal bills in trying to overturn the decision in January by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
“They should be held accountable for all the money they have spent against us,” Mr Kiene said.
“They don’t care about the decisions made by VCAT.
“With the stress of it all, we don’t sleep at night.”
Wodonga Council sustainable development director Johan Louw said the council was challenging the VCAT decision.
He says Albury-Wodonga Corporation was responsible to provide each purchaser in the estate with a copy of an agreement.
Mr Kiene rejects he signed or sighted those documents.
