CITY VOTES TO OFFLOAD HISTORIC POST OFFICE:
GEELONG’S former post office will be put on the market for sale or lease, despite calls for council to keep the historic building as a community asset.
Councillors this week unanimously agreed to approve the conditional sale or lease of the property to help raise funds for the city’s new $91 million high-rise headquarters.
The decision to sell or lease the historic building — at the corner of Ryrie and Gheringhap streets — came just days after a petition calling for the post office to be kept for community use surpassed 1100 signatures.
Petition organiser Lex Chalmers said the council’s decision was “disappointing”, but had a silver lining through the new heritage protections introduced by councillors.
“There have been a lot of discussions about heritage issues and there have been positive outcomes in that the council now has a heritage strategy, which they brought in in 2017, they now have an urban design department, and they’ve just appointed a senior heritage planner,” Ms Chalmers said.
“So there have been a lot of improvements, and we hope for a lot of improvements in the understanding of heritage management. So in a sort of a way, it’s all been worthwhile.”
The sale or lease of the building will now hinge on a range of conditions introduced by the council, including a twostage marketing process comprising an expression of interest for use of the building, followed by a “request for tender”.
Potential development of the site must be “complementary to the overall civic and cultural precinct”, and must abide by the new conservation-management plan introduced by council earlier this year.
Cr Jim Mason, the city’s arts, culture and heritage portfolio chair, said the council’s decision came following a “challenging” process deciding on the building’s future.
“The Heritage Advisory Committee voted last week that the building should be kept in public hands,” he said.
“Unfortunately, in 15 years, no one has been able to show how this can be done in a financially sustainable way.
“This decision provides an opportunity for the private sector and for philanthropists to present options for the building to be brought to life for community use.
“With this decision, the post office is not being thrown into a realm of lawlessness, a wild west. It will always lie in the realm of public protection.”
The post office building was acquired by the council in 1996 for an interest-free State Government loan of $670,000, with the building used to house city staff and also leased to tenants in the youth services sector. It has been vacant since 2018.
The council has never repaid any of the loan, which the State Government has agreed to redirect to restoration of Osborne House and the stables in Osborne Park, North Geelong.
Construction of the post office started on Ryrie St in 1899 and was completed in 1911. It is listed on the Geelong Heritage Register and any future development would be required to meet heritage requirements.