Sutherland Shire Council denies 'steamrolling' couple over Como Jannali Junior Rugby League Club's clubhouse

This outlook would be lost from their downstairs living area and backyard, where they spend most of their time, if a new clubhouse for Como Jannali Rugby League Football Club was built as planned.

The couple’s plight was revealed in a report on the Leader’s website last week.

Following the report and a letter from their grandson to Sutherland Shire Council advising of the couple’s intention to take legal action, the plans may be altered.

The council invited Mr Booker to a meeting on Friday, where a further modification was offered.

Mr Booker said he and his wife were considering the council’s offer.

“I think this has shaken them up a bit,” he said.

Mr Booker said if they accepted the offer, they would still lose views, but “it will be more suitable”.

“They could have done this five to six weeks ago,” he said.

“I tried to get a meeting with them to discuss the plans, but got nowhere.”

The council gave planning approval in April to raise the ground level of the new clubhouse 0.8 metres to overcome flooding problems and for a sloping roof that would increase the height of the structure at its highest point about 1.7 metres above the present level.

In the Leader’s online story last week, Mr Booker said they bore no ill-feeling towards the football club, and appreciated the need for a new clubhouse to overcome flooding problems.

“Our fight is with Sutherland Shire Council, which designed the building and was both the DA (development application) applicant and consent authority,” he said.

Vivian Martin, a neighbour who alerted the Leader to the couple’s situation, said the council was “steamrolling” them.

The council initially told the Leader a modification to lessen the impact was a condition of development consent.

A spokeswoman said the impact would “be from the backyard and the downstairs living area through the trees to the football field”.

While the impact was “not desirable”, it had been given careful consideration and other options had been examined.

The spokeswoman said an external consultant was engaged to review the application and recommended approval, subject to the half metre height reduction.