WILLIAMSTOWN residents are outraged at a developer’s bid to demolish the old Nugget boot polish factory at the former Port Phillip Woollen Mill development site in Williamstown.
Meanwhile, investigations into the Oriental Hotel, which the same developer wants to demolish, reveal it could be Victoria’s oldest three-storey brick hotel, dating back to 1854.
Urbis has applied, on behalf of Nelson Place Village Pty Ltd, to raze virtually all buildings between Windsor Terrace and Kanowna, Cecil and Aitken streets. The exception is the Britannia Hotel, which was the subject of an earlier application rejected by Hobsons Bay Council.
Demolition would make way for plans by Nelson Place Village Pty Ltd to build more than 400 dwellings, including four towers up to 13 storeys high.
As reported by the Weekly, a construction management plan shows 765 apartments and 25 townhouses could be built on the site bounded by Nelson Place and Ann, Aitken and Kanowna streets. Eighty-eight submissions to date have been received by the council in response to a demolition application for the Nugget site.
The application to demolish the Oriental has not been advertised so submissions are not yet being received.
Williamstown historian Brian Haynes said the Nugget factory was originally the P&O Steam Laundry. “The laundry is important as a commercial industrial structure from the 1880s when Williamstown was a busy international port. From 1909 until 1976 it was used as the Nugget (Reckitt and Coleman) factory.
“The Oriental Hotel is our oldest remaining hotel building in Williamstown, having been constructed in 1854 as the Cox Family Hotel, when labour was difficult to procure, and [was] in operation before the Pier Hotel.
“It is possibly the oldest three-storey hotel in Melbourne or Victoria from that era.”
Evolve Development managing director Ashley Williams said the Nugget factory building was not covered by any specific heritage overlay.
“This building has not been identified in any previous heritage studies as worthy of an individual listing and the council has had numerous opportunities to pursue such a control at any time in the past four years.”
Mr Williams said detailed investigations had concluded that the structural condition of the Oriental was beyond repair and retaining or restoring the building was not possible.
Save Williamtown spokesman Godfrey Moase said the proposed demolition would wipe out part of Williamstown’s heritage.
“If they show this sort of cavalier disregard for our community’s history before the development has even been finalised, what else can we expect?
“Residents and friends of Williamstown are not going to let this happen and, so far, online and in the post, we’ve had 1259 people committing to defend this community.”
