John Kele the new owner of former WIN TV studios at 192 Dean Street

It was home to television studios for 49 years and now there is a new owner at 192 Dean Street, and he has big plans for the site.

It was home to television studios for almost 50 years but there is a new lease of life looming for 192 Dean Street, with potential plans for an aged care facility.

The site went on the market in May and after a lengthy settlement period, it has been officially sold to well known Rockhampton developer John Kele of Kele Property Group (KPG).

The site boasts a huge size of 2.5 hectares with three street frontages on Dean, Stamford and Edington streets.

Rockhampton Television Limited built the former studio in 1962 for broadcasting to its RTQ7 station.

Television shows produced at the studio included Claire’s Corner, The Morning Show, Feminine Touch, Seven Days, Holiday Fun and Games, Racing Roundup and Logie-award winning documentary Walkabout.

“I remember as a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s watching our local station RTQ7,” Mr Kele said.

“My favourite show was ‘Holiday Fun and Games’.

“I never got to be on the show but I had many friends who did.”

The network was purchased by WIN Corporation in 1988, and it produced its news bulletins there from 1990.

The WIN team moved to an office in the CBD in 2012 and the site was abandoned for years before a fire destroyed the buildings in 2016.

Matthew Geizler was found guilty of arson in a 2019 court trial over the incident.

Damage totalled $480,000 and Geizler was sentenced to serve two years of a four-year jail term.

The destroyed buildings were later removed by WIN and the site has been vacant since, making it the perfect site for a development.

“It’s unusual to find a site of this size which is so central and convenient to services and facilities in North Rockhampton,” Mr Kele said.

The site is also zoned low density residential, which will come in handy for Mr Kele’s plans.

“We will take a good look at what’s best for the site,” he said.

“Our initial thinking is a residential or an aged care facility.

“I personally know the issues with trying to get loved ones into aged care within the Rockhampton region.

“If we did go this way I would like to partner with a current aged care operator.”

A development was proposed back in 2014 for the site.

Parmac Property Group had plans to develop a Coles supermarket, bakery, restaurant and newsagency, but was met with a lot of opposition from neighbours and the development never got off the ground.

“I believe the site should never be a commercial site which was proposed to council in 2014,” Mr Kele said.

“I can understand why that application was not supported by council.”

Mr Kele, with his wife Cynthia, established KPG in 2010 and since has developed many properties across the region including Savon Villas on Upper Dawson Road, The Garden Villas on Ann Street near the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens and Kent and Archer, a wellness and health centre on Archer Street.

Other Rockhampton commercial developments include Royal Wolf, Aurizon Gracemere and Bidvest facilities in Rockhampton, Emerald, Gosford and Bundaberg.

The company also owns Waterfront Homes at Lucinda overlooking Hinchinbrook Island, down in Brisbane, a Guzman Y Gomez in Fortitude Valley and the Rockhampton Startrack/Australia Post property.

Some of the company’s latest projects include Carl’s Jr on George Street and Cocobrew Restaurant and Bar from 2019 and now Cocobrew Express coffee drive-through, which opened this week.

Construction for PennyCove, a 19 unit development in Pennycuick Street, The Range, is due to start in the first quarter of 2022.

The 2.5ha parcel of land at 192 Dean Street, Berserker.

This would be KPG’s first major residential development on Rockhampton’s northside.

“It’s all about timing for me, if the timing is right I will buy,” Mr Kele said.

“Like a lot of sites I buy, they have been on the market for a long time and this one is no exception.”

While a residential facility is on the cards – the specifics are yet to be worked out and as with all of Mr Kele’s big ideas, will probably come to him in the middle of the night.

“We have a great team of consultants who I rely on so we will meet in the new year and start throwing around some ideas,” Mr Kele said.

“I usually get my ideas around 2am in the morning which means I can’t go back to sleep.”