Time to fix our decaying buildings before we become city of blights
It may be one of the most liveable cities in the world but a Sunday Herald Sun investigation reveals authorities and owners are putting our Magnificent Melbourne reputation at risk by allowing key CBD buildings to fall into disrepair.
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Melbourne’s central business district is at risk of becoming an eyesore as landmark golden-era buildings are covered in graffiti and decay after years of neglect.
A Sunday Herald Sun investigation has revealed that authorities and owners are putting our Magnificent Melbourne reputation at risk by not maintaining key CBD buildings.
The Sunday Herald Sun has identified at least 16 such buildings in our CBD being allowed to fall into disrepair.
In our prime shopping strip, Bourke St Mall, two buildings metres from a Melbourne Visitor Centre booth are covered in graffiti, and one has every window vandalised with spray paint.
The buildings collectively cover the 3420 sq m site that makes up The Walk Arcade and soar up to five stories above Bourke St and opposite 299 Bourke St, which David Jones decided to suddenly abandon this month.
Just metres from the windows of Lord Mayor Sally Capp’s office, a six-storey 1930s building at 123 Swanston St is covered in graffiti across its top three stories, including its windows.
At one of the most prominent corners in Melbourne — Spencer and Flinders streets — the former Sir Charles Hotham Hotel is now a rundown backpacker hostel and has been in a poor state for more than a decade.
Near the top of Bourke St is the historic 1840s Job Warehouse building at 54-62 Bourke St — one block from parliament — which has been run down for years with graffiti along the outside.
The state of some buildings was on Saturday labelled “a blight on our magnificent city” amid claims some “degrade the amenity of the surrounding area” by the state Opposition.
But on Saturday the City of Melbourne told the Sunday Herald Sun it did not have the power to force a clean-up of some of our most historic buildings.
“We can’t compel private owners to clean their buildings but I would urge them to consider the role they can play in preserving Melbourne’s heritage,” acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood said.
“We recognise that redevelopment can be a costly process but all owners of unused buildings have a responsibility to ensure their building is safe and secure.
“Ultimately the responsibility to clean up visually unattractive buildings lies with the private property owner.
“We want to see these sites cleaned up. We recognise that redevelopment can be a costly process but all owners of unused buildings have a responsibility to ensure their building is safe and secure.”
The state government also washed its hands of the issue, with a spokesman saying it was a council issue.
But the state Opposition said the onus was for the state to step in and help the council.
“(Premier) Daniel Andrews is failing to ensure that these buildings in key CBD locations are appropriately maintained; they are a blight on our magnificent city and significantly degrade the amenity of the surrounding area,” Liberal planning spokesman Tim Smith said.
“Daniel Andrews should be getting on the phone and working with the City of Melbourne and the owners of these buildings to ensure that these eyesores are fixed.”
National Trust Victorian chief Simon Ambrose said that while owners could find it expensive to clean buildings, if they were not maintained it could create bigger, more costly, problems.
“Whether a building is owned by government, the National Trust or private owners, it is beholden on owners to look after the history of buildings,” he said.
Mr Ambrose said there were overseas models that could help keep our historic buildings clean.
This includes the British model of using a percentage of lottery revenue to restore old buildings.
“The National Trust feels that the heritage lottery system, which is part of the UK process, would be a good idea for Australian and Victorian heritage.”
Mr Ambrose said he understood the federal government had been looking at this, but progress was slow.
Powerful lobby group Committee for Melbourne said there was a need for action on key sites and urged building owners to act.
Committee chief Martine Letts said many organisations invested heavily in ensuring their buildings were attractive and safe and “we would urge all stakeholders in this space to follow suit”.
Meanwhile, it can be revealed the new owner of the Sir Charles Hotham Hotel — education entrepreneur Shesh Ghale — plans to also redevelop that site. Mr Ghale has previously redeveloped other sites including the Argus building and Tomasetti House in Flinders Lane, and is redeveloping 388 Williams St, next to the Queen Victoria Market.
Sir Charles Hotham Hotel property manager, MP Burke Real Estate principal Pat Burke, said plans were afoot to redevelop the entire site as a potential high-quality hotel and hospitality area. He said Mr Ghale was ensuring the preservation of the historic facade. There are also plans for the Job Warehouse site.
LANE ART NO BLOCK FOR HOTEL
Two buildings that have been longtime eyesores in the Bourke St Mall have been locked in a controversial legal stoush.
Owners of the buildings — 309-325 Bourke St and 304 Lt Collins St, which make up The Walk Arcade — have won a battle to develop a hotel despite council concerns over the multimillion-dollar project’s impact on a graffiti-covered laneway.
The City of Melbourne objections included fears over the quality of the planned replacement buildings and intensity of truck movements in the CBD, as well as the impact on the “character” of Union Lane as a centre for graffiti art.
It’s understood the council wanted “minimal activisation of Union Lane by the approved new building, to ensure the ‘street art’ focus could remain”, the owner’s lawyers told VCAT.
Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood acknowledged while the council supported the revitalisation of the Bourke St Mall site via the hotel development, it had objected to aspects of the owner’s plans.
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But in August the VCAT found in the owner’s favour.
In his judgment, VCAT senior member Philip Martin challenged concerns about the character of Union Lane being affected. “It simply has blank walls on either side, with its street art. If you are not into street art, there is not a lot to get excited about or admire,” he said.
The 3420sq m site, which includes the historic Diamond House, extends from Little Collins St north through the Bourke Street Mall, with its eastern boundary alongside Union Lane and western boundary abutting The Causeway.
The development is to have more than 400 rooms, ground-level retail, and food and drinks in the basement.
The owners said plans remained on track.