Developer's hoarding at fatal wall collapse had no permit THE City of Melbourne last night confirmed it had not issued a permit for plywood advertising hoarding attached to the brick wall that collapsed two weeks ago, killing three people. Investigations by WorkSafe, the Coroner and the Building Commission are exploring the possibility that the hoarding, which was installed by developer Grocon and exceeded the wall's height by about 40cm, may have acted as a sail and caused the collapse. Teenage brother and sister Alexander and Bridget Jones and 33-year-old French academic Marie-Faith Fiawoo died after being hit by falling bricks. In a statement issued late yesterday, the City of Melbourne said that while Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy's office was responsible for issuing planning permits for Grocon's "Portrait" development on the site, the council was responsible for overseeing "the interface between building sites and public space." It said the minister's permit for the development of buildings on the site was issued on the condition Grocon file a construction management plan prepared in accordance with City of Melbourne guidelines. "The CMP was reviewed by the City of Melbourne and was found to meet the requirements of the guidelines," it said. The CMP covers Stage 1 of the development of the CUB site which is south of the area where the wall collapsed. A CMP does not replace the need for planning, building or local laws approval for specific works. These must be sought separately. A spokesman for Grocon said it was not appropriate to comment or speculate on any material that would be the subject of ongoing investigations. "This was a shocking tragedy and we all need to understand why three young lives were lost," he said, noting that Grocon was co-operating fully with all three independent investigations. The question of permitting will no doubt be one aspect that will be considered by those inquiries. A memorial service for Alexander and Bridget Jones will be held tomorrow morning at the Diamond Valley Baptist Church in Plenty, outside Melbourne.