Hamilton property going to auction following fire had history of demolition applications
A pre-war home in an up-market Brisbane suburb that was razed last month in a fire deemed suspicious had multiple demolition applications denied in the past. The house, which was reportedly used by squatters, has now been flattened and the land will go to auction later this month.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A pre-war house in Hamilton that went up in flames in early August has been demolished.
The land where the house sat, now being advertised as two lots, is set to go to auction this month.
Fire engulfs second Hamilton home within a month
Fire engulfs home at Winchester Street, Hamilton
The August 6 demolition application, made three days after the fire, was the third of its kind to be lodged on the property.
The first application was made by a previous owner in 2013. The second was made by the current owners soon after it was purchased in 2015 for $1.25m.
Both 2013 and 2015 applications were denied by the Queensland Planning and Environment Court on the grounds the building’s demolition would affect the character of the Hamilton street, which currently contains 14 other pre-1945 buildings.
The 2015 application was also denied on appeal.
A police spokesman told The Courier-Mail an investigation into the fire was still ongoing, with investigators currently treating it as suspicious.
An inspection report of the property by CMT Engineers following the fire noted the house caught fire at the rear of the building.
One of the owners said the fire could have been caused by an electrical fault caused by squatters – who had allegedly been caught at the property in the past with alcohol, drugs and a 42-inch TV setup.
“We’ve had to chase squatters out of there in the past year, they had a whole setup,” he told The Courier-Mail.
“We’re sad to see it is gone because we tried to maintain the property as much as we could.”
Neighbours told The Courier-Mail no-one had lived on the property “in about 18 months” before the fire and that it wasn’t well maintained over the past couple of years.
“I haven’t seen anyone there since I moved in about two years ago,” one neighbour told The Courier-Mail.
“They really couldn’t do much with the property because of the council – I thought they gave up on it,” another neighbour said.
Sales records reveal the property had several withdrawn sales requests in the span of two months late last year.
The incident occurred less than a month after another Hamilton home was completely destroyed by fire.