Push to shut down Gatwick Hotel as rising crime forces traders out of Fitzroy St

A PUSH to shut down a notorious hotel in Melbourne’s inner south is gaining momentum, with rising crime blamed on the area’s retail demise.

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PROBLEMS on crime-ridden Fitzroy St are hitting crisis point, as shop vacancy rates reach an estimated 20 per cent.

And a push to shut down the notorious Gatwick Hotel, blamed as the source of the problems, is gaining momentum with authorities expected to meet this week to discuss its future.

It comes after a sale of the crumbling halfway house, privately owned and run by sisters Rose Banks and Yvette Kelly, has so far failed despite reported interest from a number of parties, including a boutique hotel developer.

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For years the rooming house has been a short-term home for criminals just out of jail, as well as itinerants and those with mental health problems, with police called there on average five times a day.

When the Leader visited the Gatwick precinct last week, about 17 shops on the strip were vacant, and aggressive drunks launched into a profanity-laced abusive tirade aimed at police and this reporter.

Police are called to the Gatwick Hotel on average five times a day. Picture: Jay Town

Police were then also called to a report of a theft at the 7-Eleven opposite the Gatwick Hotel.

Fitzroy Street Business Association president Roger Wyndham told the Leader issues surrounding the Gatwick had “always been chronic” along the strip, but had worsened in recent years.

“It’s a common conversation among traders and residents that it’s got worse,” he said.

Mr Wyndham said a “whole range of factors” contributed to the street’s retail demise, but the “social problems were the longest and hardest to solve”.

Gatwick Hotel owners Rose Banks and Yvette Kelly.

“Closing the Gatwick would certainly be a quantum leap forward,” he said.

Port Phillip Inspector Jason Kelly said police had stepped up foot patrols on Fitzroy St in a bid to crack down on alcohol and drug-fuelled violence and aggressive begging.

Insp Kelly said a number of people “in boarding houses, including the Gatwick”, had been arrested on outstanding warrants as part of the operation.

“The safety of traders and locals, including the Gatwick residents, is paramount,” he said.

He said government agencies and authorities would hold crisis talks this week on the problems.

High vacancy rates on Fitzroy St are being blamed on rising crime. Picture: Kylie Else

Meanwhile, the State Government appears to be squeezing the Gatwick out, withholding $600,000 promised for site upgrades.

Housing Minister and Albert Park State Labor MP Martin Foley said it would instead be available “to assist in rehousing long-term” residents if it sold.

He said the government had spent $10 million on a partnership with Port Phillip Housing Association to provide “much better and more appropriate facilities”.

“The standard of facilities and their compliance is one set of concerns that we need to ensure we continue to monitor,” he said.

The Leader can reveal compliance inspections of the Gatwick are not random, with managers notified in advance. Port Phillip Mayor Bernadene Voss said there were no outstanding compliance issues.

The Gatwick’s owners did not respond to repeated requests for comment.