In an effort to prevent his neighbours from installing transparent glass on their apartment balconies because he doesn’t want to see their bicycles or laundry, a 60 Minutes reporter marched down to a local council meeting.
A condition that necessitates the removal of the frosted glass from their balcony is something the owners of five terrace houses in the Perth, Western Australia district of Nedlands want removed.
Australian journalist Liam Bartlett, who lives across from the new construction, is quite disappointed by the conflict.
Mr. Bartlett attended a Nedlands Council meeting and objected to the installation of transparent glass windows because he felt he had already shown the council enough courtesy.
The reporter protested the decision and said that he did not want to be forced to see the inhabitants’ “bikes” or “washing.”
In addition to the transparent balconies, the 60 Minutes reporter said that Mr. Bartlett had lost parking space and that the construction had brought “more bins and less amenities.”
According to PerthNow, Mr. Bartlett’s home was raised behind a wall and had four windows that looked out into the new construction.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like seeing people’s balconies, bikes, laundry, or anything else they want to put up there, or what they’re doing behind their balconies, he added.
The suggestion to permit transparent glass, according to Mr. Bartlett, was “beyond the pale” and went beyond what was proper conduct.
“I don’t understand why we paid rates on the property for 29 years.” My initial knowledge of this comes from an email that claims to be from the administration, he said.
In 2021, the City of Nedlands gave its approval for the building of five clustered dwellings, one of which would be built on the corner of a Nedlands street and the others on a nearby avenue.
The need to replace the balcony window with “either opaque material or frosted glass” is being thought over by city employees.
They were all purchased for $690,000 and are now being built. Council staff is expected to approve the transparent glass windows because it would allow for better street monitoring from the balcony.
Staff indicated that since it is typically a good design approach to improve safety by offering chances for “eyes on the street,” passive observation from the balcony on to (the streetscape) is a beneficial effect.
Geoffrey Nathan, one of the homeowners, said that the need for frosted glass was introduced after they had each purchased their own houses and that all of the sales literature had indicated that the glass would be transparent.
Frowned glass would block their access to natural light and a clear view of the street, according to Mr. Nathan, who claimed that it was a “matter of aesthetics”.
If the council declined to lift the restriction and the property owners took their case to the State Administrative Tribunal, the cost to the city, according to council personnel, would be between $30,000 and $50,000.
At its meeting on August 23, the council will decide whether to lift the stipulation.