No compulsory inspections

Council says building maintenance the responsibility of the owner

CITY Hall has confirmed it will not order compulsory inspections of historical buildings in the wake of the Belcher’s Corner saga.

City of Greater Geelong’s director of planning and development Joanne Van Slageren said the city would only inspect privately-owned buildings on a complaints basis.

“Community safety is of paramount importance, and any building owners who have concerns about the condition of their building are encouraged to engage the services of qualified building practitioners to undertake an assessment,” Ms Van Slageren said.

But she said there was no statutory requirement for the council to conduct a proactive inspection regime.

“Assessing and maintaining the structural integrity, condition and safety of a building is in the first instance the responsibility of the building owner,” Ms Van Slageren said.

The announcement comes a week after the council issued an emergency order requiring the dilapidated Belcher’s Corner Building to be levelled.

The large 1920s-era building, which has been off limits since late July, was found to contain several unsafe elements that required the rare intervention.

Testing showed the basement masonry retaining walls of the building were in danger of collapsing; the facade of the building facing both streets are out of vertical and horizontal alignment; and columns and beams impacted by severe concrete cancer did not meet CFA standards for fire resistance.

Ms Van Slageren said the city worked with building owners throughout the municipality to ensure they were aware of their responsibilities.

“The recent exposure of is- sues with the Belcher’s Corner building issue serves as a good reminder for all building owners to check the structural integrity of their building, particularly those who own older buildings,” she said.

The council confirmed it had received no other complaints from the public about the structural integrity of other buildings in Geelong’s CBD.