Record Of Fence With Panorama On 17th May

Mehrab Khani needs to build a retaining wall near our fence after digging.
I have documented this with 4 photo's that have been stitched together into a panorama.

As mentioned in a previous post, there is now a problem with a neighbouring house and a retaining wall which may have been caused by digging. This picture is for our record of events on our fence line.

Do You Have A Canon Camera??

If you have a Canon point and shoot, you owe yourself to look at this this:
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
http://lifehacker.com/387380/turn-your-point+and+shoot-into-a-super+camera

This is a free tiny bit of software that you put on your memory card that UNLOCKS your point and shoot camera and turns it into a super camera.

I have been using this on my Ixus 80 for a year now and it allows you to do things with your camera you normally wouldn't be able to. You can leave your camera out on a tripod, and it will take pics every 5 seconds or 2 minutes or 20 minutes or whenever, all automatically...
You can get your camera to take shots when it detects movement automatically, you can extract high quality RAW photo's from a point and shoot camera. This is normally impossible to do.

Highly recommended.

Tips On Photographing Developments

Firstly, there is no need to fiddle with the menu settings on your camera to include a date/time stamp. All photo's have date and time information embedded in them. Using a decent picture viewer will allow you to see this, and also to display the date time info on a phtograph after the fact.

I use Irfanview:
http://www.irfanview.com/

This is a brilliant free viewer which also allows you to sharpen up a photo afterwards, (photo's are not optimally sharp from your camera) as well as  view or insert date/time information that is embedded in your photo.

Panorama's:
This software is worth it's weight in gold, I cannot say enough good things about it --
http://www.autopano.net/en/

It allows you to take several photo's overlapping, and then this program will invisibly stitch them together giving you a larger panorama. This is better to see because it is more to how our eyes view something but it gives you a tremendous boost in quality because if your camera shoots in say 7 mega-pixels, by combining 3 pics together you have a panorama of close to 21 mega-pixels.

Take these pano's to the Xerox shop and you can get them printed in a giant A2 size on the Plan Printer for less than $20. This is superb for presentations to Aldermen (which I have used several times and never fails to impress a point!) or Tribunals etc.

In any presentation to Council, be it Planning or Appeals or Tribunals, large printouts are very effective.

Mehrab-Khani Sued With Order To Pay RE Fence Dispute

Mehrab-Khani sued over a fence dispute, once again he is on the losing side.

I have another civil case on record where Mehrab Khani was again on the wrong side of the issue, and which is so juicy and amazing that I have been asked not to publish it because it is a "potential secret weapon" in another case and might be used for strategic reasons. If something changes regarding this case, I will publish it.

Web Site Logs

Web sites have logs. This means you can see how many people are visiting your web site, what they are looking at and so on. Also, because every device connected to the internet has a unique address, you can tell geographic areas and sometimes more. The logs show a lot of increased activity on the website last week, with someone in Devonport spending 2 hours on an iphone checking out the site, people in Launceston, Hobart, the Tasmanian Government and even Iran!

The most popular pages are here:

With nearly half the people spending an hour or more on the web site:

Freedom Of Information For Council Pics

It seems that another neighbour on an adjoining property to the Bathurst Street development are having a potentially serious structural problem. It also seems that there may be major ramifications concerning the development.

Latest: It appear that the back retaining wall is in serious danger of falling over. It has been checked by Council and Pitt and Sherry and my information is that it is now unsafe to work on site. Unbelievably, no-one seems to know (including Council) whose responsibility it is to secure the retaining wall. I have forwarded "before the dig" and "after the dig" photo's to owners of the property.


This proves the case  that it is prudent is to take as many photo's as possible before, during and after a development to record changes/breaches of building codes. The cause of structural problems may be brought to light by viewing before and after photo's. I believe it is critical to document a development for this reason, particularly if the development has a prior of problems.

I have just been told that if you want photo's from Council concerning this development, you need to apply under the Freedom Of Information Act!  Lesson: Take photo's and lot's of them.

Before development:

After digging panoramic photo:

I have supplied photo's to the people involved in this issue and have offered to send higher quality ones if necessary.

Mehrab-Khani Attempting To Sue

 

Response below mailed 13th May

13 May 2010

Dear Sir,

I acknowledge your letter from May 11.

I have also just read the website.

Would you kindly advise me about anything on the web site that is incorrect, and what are the thing or things you allege are defamatory?

Yours Faithfully,

Thomas Berger

Site Inspection Underway

 Inspection Underway at 157-161 Bathurst Street.

Even a look into the infamous containers! Is the furniture still there or has it been removed? Time will tell! He has even hastily erected a red tape barrier around the Walnut Tree as per Heritage. It appears he has been warned about what issues are being looked at, the earth clearing is still going since yesterday. I would say 12 plus trucks of soil have been removed so far. At least some good has come of this....the mountains of dirt have been removed from my fence.

Site Inspection

It seems there might be a site inspection today/shortly with Hobart City Council and Pitt and Sherry.

Ross Willis from Compliance at Hobart City Council kindly emailed me this:
I intend to arrange an on site meeting with the developer and the supervising building surveyor to clarify and seek resolution to the issues you have cited.

You will be notified of Council's determination with respect to the above.

There is a cleanup happening on site since yesterday and continuing this morning. The mountains of dirt on my fence for the last few weeks has been taken away. This is the first time since the development that large amounts of soil are being removed. Lets wait for the outcome of the meeting.

Sat 8th May--Unit 1 Excavation

On Sat at 7.40am construction started. The loud noise noise and dirt from the bulldozer finally stopped as it was lashed to a truck at 4.50pm. Over 8 and a half hours of work on a Saturday. Dust everywhere, no way to do washing. I am trying to determine from Council what the legal hours are.

Digging commenced on Unit 1 which directly affects us because it is being built on our fence line. We went to Tribunal and won a 400mm setback! So you can laugh at any builder who tells you that they can't build on your fence (as I was told!) There is a little thing called "Performance Criteria" -- ask Council. Virtually anything can be broken if it's balanced and in character and there is precedent.

I climb up on a ladder and judge the hole to be out by metres because we have already staked this out at the Tribunal.

Below is my letter to Council.

Foundation Wire

Mehrab-Khani is on the phone, while he is instructing a worker how to install the steel foundation wire. He talks for a while then sees me filming, straight away he motions for the worker to stop.

Mehrab-Khani Intimidation

On Sunday 9th May, Tony Jacobs who lives next door to Mehrab-Khani came to visit me.
As he left my property, Mehrab-Khani and his wife sees Tony walk towards his car. They both run from the development at 157-161 Bathurst Street towards Tony!
I grab my video camera and run upstairs to film this.

The Mehrab-Khani's attempt to intimidate Tony. Tony is in the white car as I start filming. Mehrab-Khani's wife spots me filming and lets out a loud scream.

Compliance check??

On Sat 8th May with the bulldozer in full swing and excavating a hole for Unit 1, a person who looked like they may have been from Council or Pitt and Sherry arrived at 1.15pm.

I videotaped a bit of it.

The Power Of A Blog

One of the best things about a blog is that it gets picked up by search engines. Search engines love content, and the frequency of phrases lifts the position of a phrase on the search results. Google "Mehrab Khani".

This from an unknown location in Australia:

Shows you, some Councils do have a sense of humour!

Update 5th May

Documenting progress in the event of non compliant work being an issue in the future. This is the latest as of 5th May 2010.

Mehrab Khani has a different approach now when he sees me taking pictures. He pulls out his phone and it looks like he is taking pictures of me!

Council Moving Very Slowly

Letter to Ross Willis of Compliance at Council:
Dear Mr Willis,
Reference your below letter of March 23rd.
As you'll be aware,if the hearing of these 3 charges proceed on July 28th it will be 10 months after the 1st Complaint & 7 1/2 month after the other two.
If prompt action is taken to make Complaint at non compliance with Orders re 33 Marlborough St despite the delay for Planning Tribunal hearing & despite the 6 month extension there granted,then it should be possible to have that Complaint also heard on July 28th.
Yours Faithfully,
A.R.Jacobs

Update 3rd May

Documenting progress on 3rd May.

News break-- Just put the sign outside warning Tradesmen that some people had not been paid for work. Mehrab Khani called police. I showed the police the website and the payment issues he has with people working for him. I was told that I was within my rights to have a sign on my property.

Still no barrier around the Walnut tree, and shipping containers still on site.

Court Appearance Finally Over 3 Summons

News From Tony Jacobs:


Mehrab Khani finally appeared in court in relation to the 3 Council summons against him. He pleaded Not Guilty to ALL 3 complaints. Trial has been set down for Wed 28th July.

The date for his prosecution for Dishonestly Aquiring Financial Advantage has not yet been set but mid June is possible. There is also another Police Summons against him -- Unlawful Damage To Property (the windscreen of Tony Jacob's car).

Mehrab Khani's solicitor says that bay St and Brisbane street are resolved, however Tony Jacobs says differently:


"And,as I advised you,he didn't demolish a garage.
I can attest re 178 BRISBANE St that he:-
a)demolished a metal fire escape which had a landing on it & which ran from a door at the top rear facing East.
b)Built an entrance stairway with 17 steps to a door which he constructed on the North East of the upstairs rear (facing Barack St).
There was no door there previously & all entry to both flats was by the door on Brisbane St.
c)Built a whole new room or rooms on the bottom floor at the rear.
Previously there was an upstairs of the same dimensions as presently with an unbuilt on area below across the whole dwelling width [of approx 9 metres] & to a fairly similar depth.
It amazed me that in constructing this he just put in flimsy skeletal woodwork,put some sort of plastic sheeting over it & then blew on render adding windows as he went.
I suspect that moderate force would knock much of it over.
I suggest that it's construction breaches the building plot ratio.
d)He did construct additional parking & has frequently had up to 5 vehicles parked there.
(recently some of these have been driven away;that seems to have been at night consistent with the fact that the cream Mercedes has Victorian Reg plates but that that registration expired some years ago)
There are also things like the approx 3m wall alongside No.180,the large window added on the boundary of No 180 & other windows constructed whichn you've not charged him with.
None of this unapproved work has been in any way altered or removed.
Re BATHURST St I noted that his Solicitor said it was only over a container & that contained his "tools of Trade"!!!"

Tom here: Let's look at tools of the trade again.

The furniture was taken out, the bins moved, and furniture replaced.