The former Maryborough Dominion Flour Mill site has been sold

A chance for a development, that would have brought new accommodation to Maryborough, has been lost amid an ongoing dispute over the archway at the entrance of the site.

A prime piece of Maryborough real estate has been sold after a dispute over a heritage-listed archway on the site, which has been described as a danger to the community.

Developer Chris Moore said the old flour mill site in Kent Street had been sold to buyers in Brisbane effective mid-November with the contract recently becoming unconditional.

Mr Moore purchased the land with the intention of building a suite of short to medium term self-contained two bedroom accommodations after the remains of the Dominion Flour Mill were demolished in 2019.

He was working on the project with another company as part of a joint venture but plans hit a massive roadblock amid a debate over the future of the old arch.

The mill had originally been built in 1890 for the Maryborough Milling Company and was the most northerly in Australia at the time.

All that remained after the demolition of the buildings was the entrance archway, which was heritage-listed by the Fraser Coast council.

But Mr Moore repeatedly expressed concerns about the stability of the archway, which he said had major structural issues as per the structural engineering report that needed to be urgently addressed.

The ongoing dispute over the safety of the site led to the development being delayed.

Still, other members of the community fought to save it and were delighted when the council stood behind its decision to keep the archway on its register, despite the fact that the State Heritage Register declined to include the archway on its own register.

Mr Moore had told the Fraser Coast Chronicle last year that a substantial amount of money had been spent looking into ways to preserve the structure, but it had not been feasible.

Speaking to the Chronicle this week, Mr Moore said he was keen to see the site developed to its full potential in the future.

He said he was sure the new owners of the site would make a positive contribution to Maryborough.

“We felt our work on the site was complete after we had removed a derelict and unsafe building and unlocked a great development site for Maryborough,” he said.

“We were proud to use local contractors throughout the development.”

Mr Moore said he was unsure of the new owners’ plans for the site.

The council has been contacted for comment.