Community safety is at risk due to drug users and vagrancy at a vacant lot on Ballarat Road, a Deer Park business operator claims.
Vesco Jolevski (pictured) owns both the vacant lot and the panel shop next door, and says it is unsafe for him to set foot on the property.
“Every night they come and do their drugs and sleep in the yard. In the morning, the site is scattered with syringes,” he said.
Mr Jolevski also said he gave up mowing the yard because it’s too dangerous.
“I used to mow it every two or three weeks, but I’m not doing it any more until the problem has been solved; it’s a public safety issue now.”
He believes a lack of adequate street lighting is encouraging vagrancy at the yard.
“I contacted the council about extra lighting, but they denied my request,” he said.
He said several cars at his business had been purposefully damaged, but he had not yet contacted police: “What can the police do?”
Sunshine Police Senior Sergeant Greg Hinton said police had never been called out to the address before, and weren’t aware of Mr Jolevski claims until contacted by Star Weekly.
He proposed that Mr Jolevski and the council organise a meeting to find a solution.
“We sent a car out there [after being contacted by Star Weekly] and saw nothing, there was no one around,” he said. “The temporary fencing around the yard is a bit open so, if it’s a vagrancy issue, then the first thing to do would be to get the fence closed off properly.”
Mr Jolevski said he has applied for permits to get a warehouse built on the lot next year.
Council’s city development director Stuart Menzies said there are no records of requests relating to syringes at the industrial site, formerly Deer Park Engineering.
“In other years, there have been complaints about the site and in the local area. Each of these complaints was responded to by council at the time,” he said.
“Owners of private land have a responsibility to maintain their property. Council’s environmental health department is contacting the owner to remind him of these responsibilities, and give advice about the safe removal of syringes.”
Street lighting has been deemed sufficient, a council spokesman said.
By Paul Shapiro
