Miracle Recreation Equipment owner Maurice Simpson is still waiting for his premises to be rebuilt after a fire 18 months ago.
Camera IconMiracle Recreation Equipment owner Maurice Simpson is still waiting for his premises to be rebuilt after a fire 18 months ago. Credit: Supplied/Martin Kennealey d493286

Costly wait for playground business after fire

Justin BianchiniWanneroo Times

A WANGARA playground equipment manufacturer has pushed on despite the fallout from a fire 18 months ago.

Miracle Recreation Equipment owner Maurice Simpson said he had managed to keep a staff of 20 employed since fire ripped through the Dellamarta Road business in November 2017.

He has been operating out of a second building on the site since the blaze, believed to have started from a chemical reaction.

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What he did not expect was the replacement tilt-up concrete building to be still not finished under his insurer.

The burnt building had been insured and he had 12 months of business interruption insurance.

“It’s now going out to 18 months at my cost, just over $100,000,” he said.

“I expected a building like this to go up within 12 months.

“It’s not a skyscraper on St Georges Terrace.”

He said for about an extra $5000, the interruption insurance could have covered two years but reiterated that such a building should not take that long to rebuild.

“Someone needs to be taking charge in these situations to ramp up and make sure it (the building) happens,” he said. “Four and a half months after the fire, it was given to a builder.

“Six months later designs went to the City of Wanneroo. And a building permit was issued 12 months after the fire.”

Mr Simpson has owned the 20-year-old business for five years.