After two decades of complaints, Greater Dandenong Council has taken a court order for the demolition of a hoarder’s house in Noble Park.
As reported by Star Journal in 2022, the site had been long described as an eyesore and fire-risk.
Its front and back yards have been piled and packed with materials, including heaps on a garage roof.
A rickety, allegedly illegal timber building structure loomed large, as well as mesh wire sheets towering over boundary fences.
Now, the owner has been given until 8 August to comply with council building orders issued in 2024 to vacate and remove the house “including the below ground area”.
There is a further order to remove the mesh sheets, and to remove an extension structure on the shed’s roof.
The property is to be “left cleared” by the deadline.
A magistrate has also directed the owner to pay the council’s $3994.66 costs for the court order.
Exasperated neighbours, Ruth and Fred, are a couple in their 90s who first complained to Greater Dandenong Council about the unsightly mounds in 2011.
They are relieved but taken aback by the demolition order.
“Do they have the power to go in and demolish a person’s home?” Ruth said.
She said little had changed in the yard since the court order was pinned to the property on 9 July.
“The whole place looks awful. There’s just a narrow pathway to get past the junk to get access to the house.
“It’s shocking really that nothing has been done for so long.”
The couple have been told the yard is a fire hazard – and added to Fire Rescue Victoria’s Hoarding Notification System so fire crews were aware of the “increased fuel load”.
FRV advised her to consider interconnected smoke alarms at her home and to ensure she had an emergency evacuation plan.
Three years ago, Greater Dandenong Council told Star Journal that it had a “long history” with the hoarder dating back to 2004.
“Over the past two decades we have worked with the owner to address a number of concerns,” a spokesperson said.
However, the issue had not at that stage been identified as a “hoarding concern” by the council’s public health team.
“The Public Health team becomes involved when all other avenues have been exhausted – this includes action under planning legislation, building legislation, or under Council’s Local Laws as an unsightly or overgrown property.
“The issue of hoarding is complex and multi-layered, and each case is unique. They often involve mental health issues and require patience, flexibility and understanding.”
