Residents at Mona Castle boarding house given 72 hours to evacuate
A group of “battlers” fears they have nowhere else to go and may face charges if they don’t leave their boarding house above a Seddon pub in the next 24 hours. But the council insists they must go — this is why.
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A group of residents facing eviction from a boarding house above a pub in Melbourne’s west fear they have nowhere else to turn.
The nine men living upstairs at Mona Castle Hotel in Seddon were told they had 72 hours to evacuate the building due to fire safety concerns.
Maribyrnong Council issued the emergency order on Friday, meaning tenants were due to be out by Monday afternoon.
That stay was later extended by 24 hours until Tuesday but residents said they were unsure where to go if they were forced out.
The council has ordered the pub to install new fire alarms, a sprinkler system and an external fire escape and it’s understood works would cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Several of the residents have lived in their rooms on a long-term basis, including one who has been there 20 years.
Mona Castle publican Gary Clough said it was a tough blow for the tenants, who would struggle to find alternative accommodation at such short notice.
He said the living quarters were classed as emergency accommodation and catered for people with difficult backgrounds.
“They’re shattered,” he said.
“They’ve got nowhere to go. They’re just battlers that are getting told ‘get out’. No negotiation, no way of getting things fixed up and sorted out. It’s terrible.”
Mr Clough has been running the pub for 14 years and said upstairs had been a boarding house for more than 30 years.
He said previous checks had found smoke alarms were in working order and he was unsure what had prompted the recent inspection.
According to an emergency order handed to the pub on Friday, residents could face charges if they did not vacate the building as instructed.
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Maribyrnong Council planning services director Nigel Higgins said the building did not have fire alarms, sprinklers or emergency lighting indicating where exits were located.
“Unfortunately, the residents have only one means of escape from where their bedrooms are located on the second floor, this is down an internal stairway that leads to the ground floor,” he said.
Mr Higgins said they were working with other agencies to help find suitable alternative accommodation.
He added that if fire safety upgrades were installed and the property was deemed compliant, residents would be able to return to their accommodation.