AN ANONYMOUS donor has lent a Moss Vale family money to build a house after a legal stoush with Wingecarribee Council drained their funds.
Greg and Fiona Franklin said they had been overwhelmed by the community's response to an article in the Southern Highland News on January 11 revealed their tussle with the council.
"We've had people phoning us or stopping me in the street talking about similar experiences they've had with this council," Mr Franklin said. "Some are offering encouragement, others have offered money and a couple of people have even asked me to run for council, but that's something I'm not interested in.
"A lot of people were saying it was about time someone stood up to this council because it was so difficult to get developments approved and they had given up, but we couldn't walk away.
"These insurers tend to hold out as long as they can and hope the person drops out, then they settle at the last minute if it looks like going to court."
A dispute over a "discovered" sewer pipe meant the family could not build a home on land they bought on Parkes Road in 2010.
After the problem looked like being resolved at the end of 2011, the Franklin's ran out of money due to legal expenses.
Mr Franklin was working less in order to help his wife, who suffered from severe depression as a result of this "saga", and to take care of their Autistic son.
As a result, he could no longer get a loan from the banks.
The anonymous donor was prepared to give the Franklins the money to build a house, however, Mr Franklin said he would accept it only if he could pay it back when they got back on their feet.
The amount was not enough to build the house they first planned, but they had found a house that would fit the new budget.
Wingecarribee Council General Manager Jason Gordon said the council would now consider Mr Franklin's request for it to reroute the sewer line so he could get a house built in his favoured position.
The council will consider the Franklins' claim for compensation, which is being processed by its insurers, in closed session at today's general meeting.
"It's listed to be heard in closed session tonight to see whether there is anything more the council would like to put on the table," Mr Gordon said.
Mr Franklin said he could not start negotiations with a builder until the council agreed to move the pipe.
"One of the reasons our building application was refused was that the plans to move the pipe that we had originally provided were not acceptable to the council, but it has not clarified where they were deficient," he said.
"Then, at a meeting last year the council said it would move the pipe rather than us engaging a surveyor to draw up new plans for a different house."
He said if people wanted to help then they should donate money to organisations that helped children with autism, such as KKKK.
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