A year on from shock closure of Central Pier, tenants still grappling for truth
It’s been a year since Docklands’ Central Pier was closed amid safety fears but its former tenants say they are no closer to finding out what happened — or who is to blame.
Victoria
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The tenants of the condemned Central Pier believe the government body that forced the Docklands site to close wants to “forget we were ever here”.
The popular entertainment precinct was evacuated and shut down within hours a year ago — and Development Victoria then confirmed it would never reopen due to the deterioration of the piles that supported the 100-year-old structure.
Duncan Laidlaw, who was general manager of The Woolshed, said it felt like a David and Goliath battle of the ex-tenants versus government bureaucracy.
“The shadow of the fires and COVID has really helped them. They have been able to duck and weave and forget we were ever here.”
About 1300 people lost their jobs when Central Pier closed and most had only just found work in the hospitality sector when the pandemic devastated that industry.
He expected to continue to operate on the Pier until at least 2026 when his lease expired after sinking his life savings into the business.
“Someone has to take responsibility — we paid them rent to keep that place maintained and safe.”
Tenants have been demanding to know why checks carried out every two months in the 12 months prior to the closure failed to detect the defects.
Mr Laidlaw said he had worked hard on the Woolshed for over a decade to pay off loans and get into a position the next few years would have been profitable.
“I would have hoped we would have got some sort of compensation, which would have been really handy now hospitality is locked down.”
Hatem Saleh, chief executive of the head tenant the Atlantic Group, said he wouldn’t want anyone else to go “through the hell” he had over the last 12 months.
“In any business if you’re the landlord and you destroyed a business you would compensate that business accordingly — this is a complete farce.”
Five of the tenants are pursuing DV through the courts, claiming in excess of $100 million.
“We’ve been trying to get resolution. We simply had no notice, no opportunity to relocate given the sudden closure of Central Pier, which was disgraceful,” he said.
Reason Party leader Fiona Patten said businesses had been destroyed.
“It doesn’t give you great confidence in how government is going to deal with businesses after COVID.”
Ms Patten was seeking a meeting with the Minister responsible, Martin Pakula. “It was such a dramatic exit - which was also surprising - because if the government had been managing that pier, why did they have to evacuate within hours?”
The way it had been handled was a “travesty”, she said.
“Government needs to recognise their responsibility in the closure of those businesses.”
Development Victoria didn’t respond to a Herald Sun request for comment.
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