Almost a year ago, a mysterious fire extensively damaged a 159-year-old heritage-protected hotel in inner Melbourne that had been bought by property developers Stefce Kutlesovski and Raman Shaqiri. One weekend shortly after the blaze, they illegally demolished the building, formerly known as the Carlton Inn and latterly the Corkman Irish Pub, prompting community outrage.

In a letter to Planning Minister Richard Wynne, the developers conceded their fault, saying they had "breached faith with the community and made very serious errors of judgment". They undertook to immediately restore the building at their expense.

They didn't. And now they are fighting an order to remove asbestos, and are suing Mr Wynne over orders he put on the site after the demolition, which happened without building and planning permits. Those orders prohibit an apartment tower.

It also transpires they had received preliminary plans for a residential high-rise building from an architect they have used on a number of projects. In accompanying documents, the architect indicated that the project was contingent on having the heritage restriction lifted.

Further to the developers' apparent disregard for rules and safety, they have ignored Melbourne City Council requests to demolish a wall in danger of collapsing on the site. They have ignored clean-up orders by the Environment Protection Agency, which is concerned about the risks posed by the asbestos, and face fines of $2 million.

There is a big difference between being a creative entrepreneur and being a cavalier cowboy seemingly seeking to game the system for a multimillion-dollar windfall.

Were these men to succeed in avoiding the cost, and then to profit by building a tower, the public would have reason to feel angry and disappointed.

It would appear that the just outcome is for the developers to assume their legal and ethical responsibilities. They knowingly trampled boundaries that protect the public and employees.

The government and its agencies would be well advised to resist them and to demonstrate that the rules apply to everyone - and will be applied.

The EPA would do well to show it is ready, willing and able to enforce reasonable regulations that balance developers' desires against amenity and public interest.

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