MOUNT Gambier’s 65-year-old railway shed will be demolished in the “near future” despite a section of the community continuing its unwavering fight to save the fire damaged structure.
The State Government yesterday confirmed demolition works were now back on the agenda following the South Australian Heritage Council declaring the roundhouse did not demonstrate significant heritage value.
Nestled adjacent the city’s recreational rail corridor, the sprawling galvanised railway shed and surrounding environment has been left abandoned for decades following the closure of the once bustling rail precinct.
Demolition works were stopped in late June following the heritage council placing provisional heritage protection on the site.
“The publicly available engineers report confirmed the building is not structurally safe, could not reasonably be rehabilitated and the ultimate recommendation was the building be demolished,” a State Government spokesperson said yesterday.
“As such, the State Government will proceed with the demolition in the near future, however there is no set date at this stage.”
According to the government, the demolition will cost around $50,000 and there is no requirement for the works to go out to tender.
Soil and contaminant tests of the site will determine the next use of the land.
But National Trust Mount Gambier branch chair Nathan Woodruff said the proponents of the site were seeking an urgent meeting with Transport Minister Stephan Knoll to stop the looming demolition works.
He said roundhouse supporters had yet to hear anything from the minister’s office.
Speaking to The Border Watch yesterday, Mr Woodruff said the roundhouse proponents were clinging to hope the government would dump its demolition agenda.
“The decision is disappointing. We are lobbying to get a meeting with the minister,” Mr Woodruff said.
He vowed proponents would not back down on their efforts to save the structure.
“We do not want to take this publicly to the newspaper but how else do we get the minister to listen,” the campaigner said.
He warned the $50,000 would not cover the remediation of the sprawling site.
“It is a fire hazard, eyesore and a tripping hazard,” said Mr Woodruff, who called on the government to release the full cost of remediation works.
He also called on the government to begin a fresh round of community consultation.
Mr Woodruff said preliminary costings gathered by the group indicated the structure could be restored for less than $200,000 and possibly used as a creative space for local artists.
His comments follow around 20 supporters attending a meeting at the Mount Gambier Old Courthouse on Sunday to discuss concept plans for the site.
An independent engineering review revealed the building could not be “reasonably” rehabilitated and the majority of the roof was no longer structurally sound.
There is also a risk that roof sheets could lift off in high wind events.
As part of the demolition process, a departmental contractor will endeavour to salvage as much of the material as possible.
Additionally, a systematic high resolution photographic record of the structure will be undertaken.
Copies will be provided to Mount Gambier City Council, the local history centre (Les Hill Collection) and to the National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide.
