Heritage-listed building falling further into disrepair

Historic former bank restoration project still languishing seven months on from clearance to proceed

DESPITE the owner of the former Commonwealth Bank building being cleared to resume restoration work seven months ago, no work has been done and the building has fallen further into disrepair.

Graeme Arman bought the heritage-listed property for $3.1 million in 2007 and began restoration work in 2013. But the short-lived project was abandoned in 2014 after the State Government stopped works in error.

"We were literally six weeks away from finishing the facade when they shut us down," Mackay builder Geoff Baguley said.

"Obviously all the work that we had done there will have to be redone."

The Victoria Street building housing the Commonwealth Bank in Mackay in July 2007. Picture: Contributed

A Queensland Government Depart­ment of Environment and Science spokesman said this week the owner was given an exemption certificate to resume restoration work last August.

But there has been no progress to report.

"The certificate approved certain repair and restoration work and outlined how the work must be done to maintain the historical character of the building," the DES said.

"The approved work included installing a cross-bracing system to ensure the structural integrity of the building, reinstating the first floor timber veranda, repairing the building's front columns, and repairing the rendering on the building's facade."

The DES said it contacted Mr Arman's representative on February 24 to seek a progress update after inspecting the building alongside the representative on November 14.

"The department was advised no work had started, due to ongoing difficulty in contacting the property owner, and that work could not begin without the owner's approval," the DES spokesman said.

 

Heritage-listed building falling further into disrepair

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Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said having met with the owner and worked with Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert to get the State Government to issue the exemption last year, the situation was "extremely disappointing".

"We all thought it was an absolute triumph and we thought the owners would be true to their word and work would start on it," he said.

"After all that effort … and to be seven months down the track of a two-year exemption, and no work has been done so far … is just exceptionally disappointing."

The current exemption will expire in August 2021, but the DES said Mr Arman could apply for a further exemption if work was incomplete.

 

The old Commonwealth Bank building on Victoria Street in Mackay.

For now, Mackay's oldest commercial building remains in a desolate state, a large nesting ground for pigeons, far from the condition it was in just a decade ago.

Cr Williamson said the council had done all it could for a privately-owned building.

"You can't put a metric screw into an imperial building but it can sit like this for many years now and fall apart around our ears and everyone is powerless to do anything about it - it's a crazy situation," he said.

In 2017 the owner, Mr Arman, told the Daily Mercury he had spent about $2 million on repairs.

"Every step we have taken we have hit a brick wall," Mr Arman said at the time.

The DES also said this week there was no provision under the Queensland Heritage Act 1992 for the state to buy privately-owned heritage-listed properties, with the matter ­remaining between the owner and any potential buyers.

Cr Williamson said council could possibly offer to buy the building. "It is a possibility down the track, but it becomes less and less of an attraction for anybody the longer it stands in ruin," he said.

Mr Arman and his company Imnau Holdings were contacted for comment but did not respond.