[caption id="attachment_95810" align="aligncenter" width="406"] Yvette and Phillip Georgiou[/caption]
Owners of luxury Kragga Kamma facility vow to fight ruling in highest court if necessary
THE Port Elizabeth High Court has ordered Phillip and Yvette Georgiou to demolish parts of their multimillionrand boutique hotel, spa and wedding venue in Kragga Kamma Road, which it says was constructed without the necessary approved building plans.
But Phillip Georgiou vowed yesterday to appeal against the judgment, saying he would take the matter to the highest court in the country, if necessary.
“I have acted within my rights and have done things by the book,” Georgiou said.
“I have special consent and all the relevant plans.
“One of the things we need to get right in Port Elizabeth is that the municipality should make things easier for business owners. I have created a lot of employment here.”
He said title deed restrictions affected many business owners and he did not understand why the municipality would pursue this matter and turn a blind eye to others.
In her judgment, Judge Elna Revelas ordered the Georgious to demolish all buildings and structures at the Georgiou Boutique Hotel & Spa deemed unlawful under the National Building Regulations and Standards Act, which were erected on their erven at 252, 250A and 250 Kragga Kamma Road.
According to the judgment, the structures include a gym, a pool with a roof, an enclosed patio and a chapel which had all been built without building plans being submitted.
Internal alterations for the use of the restaurant were also noted by a municipal official.
The Georgious have also been restrained and interdicted from continuing any further building work.
They have also been restrained and interdicted from using the specified properties in any way which would contravene municipal zoning scheme regulations and restrictive conditions on the title deed.
The couple have also been ordered to pay the costs of the application brought by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
Revelas said the continued use of the properties and building of structures without approved building plans, despite notices to cease building work, constituted criminal offences.
Georgiou said: “We have already spent half a million [rand] in legal fees, but we are willing to pay whatever it takes.
“We have an excellent legal team and we believe we are an asset to Port Elizabeth.
“We have brought a limousine service here. We also provide excellent service and we often have celebrities visiting us.
“We love PE so why should we be forced to go somewhere else like Cape Town?
-Lee-Anne Butler