Plans to demolish old Chemist Warehouse building at 113 East Street, Rockhampton

A ‘structurally unsound’ building in the Rockhampton CBD will be demolished to make way for a new, two-storey retail and office space. SEE THE PLANS HERE.

Designs for a new two-storey building to replace the former Chemist Warehouse building in East Street, Rockhampton CBD.

A ‘structurally unsound’ building in the Rockhampton CBD will be demolished to make way for a new, two-storey retail and office space if development plans are given the green light by council.

Plans to demolish the former Chemist Warehouse building at 113 East Street were submitted to Rockhampton Regional Council on October 6 in a planning report prepared by Gideon Town Planning on behalf of East Street Rockhampton Pty Ltd.

The popular Chemist Warehouse store was forced to relocate further down East Street, across from the Rockhampton Courthouse, after a storm in October 2021 caused extensive damage to the building at number 113.

Chemist Warehouse, Rockhampton, East St

In December 2021, Rockhampton Regional Council demolished two buildings beside 113 to create an East Street walking link to the new $36 million Rockhampton Museum of Art in Quay Street.

There were initially hopes the former Chemist Warehouse building could be repaired, however the recently-submitted planning report states it must be demolished as it is ‘structurally unsound and is incapable of reasonably being made structurally sound in terms of the financial cost of the required works’.

Cracks can be seen in the wall of the former Chemist Warehouse building neighbouring the East Street walkway.

An engineering report included in the submission labelled the building ‘dilapidated’.

It noted there was severe foundation subsidence resulting in crack widths of about 50mm to the external masonry walls and the cantilevered steel awnings to the building facade, spanning over public pedestrian foot traffic, were unsound.

Designs for a new two-storey building to replace the former Chemist Warehouse building in East Street, Rockhampton CBD.

Engineers also reported a deviation of up to 100mm within the first-floor frame structure, water ingress to the upper roof structure and severe sagging of plaster ceiling linings that were considered to be high-risk of collapse.

Following the demolition of the existing building, there are plans to replace it with a modern shop on the ground floor with offices above.

“The site’s redevelopment, including the new built form, will enhance the visual amenity of the historic character of East Street and provide economic benefits to the community,” the report states.

“With a contemporary commercial design, the building features an awning and a mix of building materials that integrate with the surrounding character settings of East Street.

“The facade along East Street depicts three large arch windows that activate the street and create a pedestrian-oriented street frontage.

“The proposed awning aligns with the adjoining awning maintaining the aesthetic of the footpath.”

Designs for a the rear of the building in Quay Lane.

The report outlines that three reverse-arch windows would be integrated into the facade on the side of the building where the new Rockhampton Museum of Art walkway flows, to ‘create a visual design link with the urban laneway’.

“This further complements the general aesthetic of the building as well as the amenity of the area,” the report states.

Designs for reverse-arch windows on the side of the building through the East-Quay link.

No changes to the existing water, electrical, and telecommunication infrastructure are propose, the report states, however, the connection to these services will be updated.

The development application is yet to be approved by Rockhampton Regional Council.

Originally published as Plans to demolish old Chemist Warehouse building at 113 East Street, Rockhampton