Banjo Paterson Cottage Restaurant owner David Poirier in battle with Ryde Council over termites, structural damage at historic venue

The owner of a well known restaurant once home to Australian poet Banjo Paterson says he has been caught up in a tangle of red tape after his plans to turn the cottage into a restaurant was hit with a plague of termites.

Sections of walls inside the famed harbourside building.

A Sydney restaurateur is locked in a planning battle with a northern Sydney council over his attempts to turn a historic harbourside cottage into a new dining hub.

Restaurant owner David Poirier says he has been caught up in a tangle of council red tape after discovering a termite infestation and major structural woes within the Ryde Council-owned Banjo Paterson Cottage at Gladesville.

The 1850s-era cottage – was once home to famed poet Andrew “Banjo” Paterson – was leased by the council to Mr Poirier in November.

He wants to adapt the building into a new cafe, bistro and restaurant called Rockend.

After signing the lease, Mr Poirier said an infestation of termites and structural integrity issues were uncovered in walls and ceilings of the building.

Mr Porter said he has had to fund structural repairs to the building as well as replace carpets, a non-functioning kitchen and commission painting, tiling, wiring and electrical work.

The major damage.

The termite infestation was uncovered in the building.

Ryde Council claimed some of the construction activity in the historic building, including ceiling works, were carried out without its consent and has issued a stop work order on the site.

Mr Poirier said the order means he was now unable to finish any of the semi-completed building works at the site and was facing a “crippling financial burden” he could not sustain.

Mr Poirier – who has run 13 Sydney restaurants including Le Coq in Rozelle – conceded some of the works were carried out without the approval from the council, but insisted they were done so in order to make the building safe.

David Poirier is in a planning battle with Ryde Council.

“Parts of the old roof were about to collapse so we tried to make it safe and we decided to keep going with it for the safety of the building,” he said.

“With the lease and rectification work, I’ve spent more than $250,000 so far and the council should be paying us to make the building safe but instead they’re making it a danger by stopping us from fixing the problem.

“There were heritage reports done on the building before we signed the lease but the problem was we couldn’t see the termite damage until we started works on the building.

“Every week I’m losing $3500 but if I pull out now I’ll lose everything we’ve put into it.

A photo inside the building.

A stop work order has been issued on the site.

“The council hasn’t offered us any help and they’re killing a small business.”

Mr Poirier has written to the council urging for the stop work order to be lifted as well as compensation for rectification works carried out to date.

In a statement, a Ryde Council spokesman said it carried out a termite inspection at the site one month before the lease was signed and the “only active termite infestation was found in garden retaining timbers on the exterior of the property”.

“No other evidence of active termite activity was found at that time (and) preventive termite baiting and monitoring program commenced prior to the tenant taking occupation of the premises,” the spokesman said.

The historic cottage overlooks Looking Glass Bay on the Parramatta River.

“Under the terms of the lease, the tenant took occupation of the premises on an ‘as-is’ basis. The lease obliged the tenant to undertake further due diligence by conducting his own independent investigations so that he can be fully satisfied as to the state of the premises.”

The council said the unauthorised works undertaken at the site were carried out without the required authorisations or approvals.

“Council and the lessee are currently in the process of considering their options with respect to ensuring that the structural integrity and the heritage fabric of the building has not been compromised,” the council spokesman said.

Banjo Paterson Cottage.

“This may take some time given the nature of the works that have been undertaken in the context of the heritage significance of the building and the nature of its construction.’’

The state of the building has meanwhile sparked concerns from independent Ryde councillor Roy Maggio who called for the council to support Mr Poirier.

“The building’s been left to ruin and we’re now expecting this man to fix and repair a council asset at his own cost which is unacceptable in my view,” he said.

“My big concern is why has a community building such as this been left to ruin?”

Damage is widespread.

Mr Poirier said he has spent more than $250,000 on the building to date.

Mr Poirier said without a resolution, he would be unable to sustain the lease of the site and would have “no option” but to abandon plans for the restaurant.

He said he signed the lease with the intention of reviving the historic cottage – which previously operated as a restaurant before closing in May 2022.

“It would have a lot of benefits to the community and to Ryde Council as well because it would attract customers to Gladesville and create more jobs for community,” Mr Poirier said.