The Hotel Australasia will be demolished to make way for a third Eden supermarket after the Land and Environment Court upheld an appeal against a rejected Development Application (DA).
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The front 15 metres of the building may still be preserved however, with ‘Save the Pit’ campaigners meeting with developer Rodney Thompson in Merimbula on Tuesday to discuss his offer to subdivide the heritage section and sell it for $500,000.
The campaigners are hoping to convince Bega Valley Shire Council to make the purchase, and take up their plan to restore the building's 1906 facade and transform the heritage section into a commercial business and tourism operation that includes a wine or tapas bar, community art gallery and Bundian Way office.
Having initially opposed the development on heritage grounds, Councillors voted to change their stance on July 30, with Great Southern Development’s appeal still before the court.
The two parties filed an agreement with the court on Friday, containing 81 conditions that the developer must abide by during demolition and development.
The potential subdivision of the building is not part of the agreement, and though Mr Thompson did not return the Magnet’s calls, he has previously said that the ‘Save the Pit’ group would have no longer than two weeks after the court’s decision to take up the offer.
Bega Valley Shire Council Mayor Bill Taylor said, now that the court case has closed, Council is open to reviewing a request from the ‘Save the Pit’ group, to take ownership of the front 15 metres.
“They made a proposition, but we haven’t considered it because the matter was before the court,” Cr Taylor said.
“If that request now comes back again, Council would certainly investigate the possibility.
“But as with any purchase, Council can’t just rush in and buy something; it would need to be properly valued and have a strong business case behind it.”
‘Save the Pit’ campaigner Peter Whiter said the group has put together a business plan for Council to review.
“We’re happy to go back to Council and reaffirm the position of our group and our supporters,” Mr Whiter said.
“We’re hopeful that Council will negotiate with the developer about taking ownership of that section of the building for use in future tourism and commercial business operations.
“I will be writing to Council outlining what happens at the meeting [with Rodney Thompson], and forwarding our business plan to all Councillors and asking for their support.”
The terms of the agreement filed on Friday include the preservation of the hotel’s 1905-06 bricks, timber framed windows and doors, four-panel doors, and the individual elements of the internal staircase, which must be carefully removed and separately stockpiled on the site during demolition.
The court has ordered that the developer must either retain these materials for re-use or re-sale, or make them available for members to collect from the site for a minimum of 14 days during the demolition phase.
The developer is also required to make cash contribution of $453,100 car parking contribution, and provide a public art work in consultation with Council’s community and culture section.
Cr Taylor said the preservation of these materials is a good outcome for Council.
He also said the car parking contributions could be offset if the developer was to carry out work on the site that is beneficial to the community.
“Council’s original resolution was to preserve the whole building,” he said.
“When it became clear that that wasn’t likely to happen, we again sat down with our heritage advisor to revise the conditions and ensure those historic materials will be preserved.
“In the end, we’re disappointed that we couldn’t keep the whole building, but we’re happy to have preserved some of the historical elements.”