Owners of ‘dangerous’ city building move on demolition plan
OWNERS of a dangerous central Geelong property will today lodge a plan to demolish the prominent building before the end of the year.
The Belcher’s Corner building has been ordered to come down, following the discovery of a raft of major safety issues.
The detailed and expensive demolition plan is due today, with the City of Greater Geelong last month imposing the deadline.
The building, on the north- westwest corner of Ryrie and Moorabool streets, was closed in July and has since been evacuated.
Owners corporation committee spokesman Nathan Holmes said a scheduled date for the demolition of the 1920s-era building would not be known for two to three weeks.
The council has ordered the building to be levelled by December 31.
Mr Holmes said dealing with the potential impact on neighbouring buildings, traffic management and public safety had made the task of crafting the plan difficult.
“A lot of the (expert) people involved see this as one of the most complex jobs they’ve undertaken,” he told the Geelong Advertiser.
The building is riddled with concrete cancer, which has made it a fire risk.
Basement masonry retaining walls of the building supporting footpaths and road reserves are in danger of collapsing, while the facade is out of alignment both vertically and horizontally.
Council’s planning and development director, Joanne Van Slageren, said the owners had committed to meeting all their obligations.
“We are working in close co-operation with the owners … to assist them to meet the requirements set out in the emergency order.”
Mr Holmes said the cost of the demolition was expected to almost double the existing significant bill.
He indicated that several of the 20 owners faced losing their investments, with the prospect of bankruptcy a real threat. “Some people will find themselves unable to recover financially,” he said.