Jailed for illegal development
Businessman Augustine Lau has received the biggest sentence ever handed down for cutting corners in property development, the Auckland Council says.
Lau pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in jail in the Auckland District Court yesterday, a council statement said.
The council said Lau faced 17 charges under the Resource Management Act and 10 charges under the Building Act, as well as further charges under the Companies Act. He had undertaken illegal development of six properties in Auckland including at Flat Bush, Pa¯ remoremo and O¯ ta¯ huhu. The council said the unprecedented sentence was a strong warning to others who would consider this type of offending. The council’s regulatory committee chairwoman, Linda Cooper, said: ‘‘[It] shows that Aucklanders don’t have to put up with illegal antics from dubious developers. While the council encourages development to meet the current housing shortage, the rules are there for a reason. Our officers won’t hesitate to take action if you’re doing it illegally.’’
The property in Flat Bush was allowed a single dwelling, the council said. Under Lau’s management, the existing house was turned into two dwellings and two former classrooms and a weatherboard house were also placed on the property.
The Pa¯remoremo property was also permitted for one dwelling and another minor dwelling.
But under Lau’s management, the original house was converted into three dwellings and its garage into another. A weatherboard house was also put on the property which was made into five dwellings, resulting in a total of nine dwellings on the property.
Lau received an abatement notice but ignored it.
At the O¯ ta¯huhu property, about 900 cubic metres of earthworks were undertaken without ‘‘preparation or compaction and without consent’’. Fill material used included rubbish and debris, the council said. ‘‘Again, interim enforcement orders were issued but no compliance resulted. Instead a pile of material, including more asbestos, was flattened into the site. Enforcement orders in relation to this were also ignored.’’
The council said Judge Craig Thompson commented that Lau’s offending was the worst he had seen in terms of non-compliance with warnings by the regulator.
‘‘The offences he has committed in these instances were committed for financial gain,’’ Judge Thompson said. ‘‘They were premeditated, he knew exactly what he was setting out to do and he knew that what he was doing was unlawful. He continued to do it nevertheless.’’