Maintenance order served on Brisbane landmark
Published Sunday, 07 September, 2008 at 08:30 AM
Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation
The Honourable Andrew McNamara
The State Government has moved to ensure a Queensland heritage-listed landmark at Indooroopilly is properly cared for.
Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation Andrew McNamara said a maintenance notice had been served on the owner of Keating House, on the corner of busy Coonan Street and Westminster Road.
It is the first use of new powers under which owners can be fined up to $75,000 for letting heritage houses fall into disrepair. The new laws came into effect in April.
Mr McNamara said the unoccupied house was falling into disarray and required urgent maintenance work.
“The Environmental Protection Agency has been aware of the property’s neglect since March yet the owner has done nothing, despite repeated requests,” Mr McNamara said.
“The Heritage Act makes it clear that maintenance work – such as keeping a building secure – is more than an owner’s responsibility, it’s a legislative duty.
“Sadly, unsecured windows and doors have allowed vandals to enter and damage the interior. Damage has been further compounded by rain getting in.”
The owner has been ordered to remove or repair damaged guttering and downpipes, secure doors and windows, clear stormwater drains, instal temporary secure fencing and mow of long grass.
Keating House was put on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1999. The late 1890s home was designed by prominent Brisbane architect Richard Gailey, also responsible for Moorlands, within Wesley Hospital’s grounds.
“It’s a colourful piece of Queensland history,” Mr McNamara said. “It was built for a businessman Louis Stamm, who is variously described as a newspaper proprietor, brewer and merchant.
“At one stage, he owned 42 acres of Indooroopilly he bought in 1873, two years before the train station came and opened up the suburb.”
His daughter, Mary Keating, inherited the house upon his death in 1903. The Keatings lived there until 1999.
More information: Scott Dixon 0439 761 416
Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation Andrew McNamara said a maintenance notice had been served on the owner of Keating House, on the corner of busy Coonan Street and Westminster Road.
It is the first use of new powers under which owners can be fined up to $75,000 for letting heritage houses fall into disrepair. The new laws came into effect in April.
Mr McNamara said the unoccupied house was falling into disarray and required urgent maintenance work.
“The Environmental Protection Agency has been aware of the property’s neglect since March yet the owner has done nothing, despite repeated requests,” Mr McNamara said.
“The Heritage Act makes it clear that maintenance work – such as keeping a building secure – is more than an owner’s responsibility, it’s a legislative duty.
“Sadly, unsecured windows and doors have allowed vandals to enter and damage the interior. Damage has been further compounded by rain getting in.”
The owner has been ordered to remove or repair damaged guttering and downpipes, secure doors and windows, clear stormwater drains, instal temporary secure fencing and mow of long grass.
Keating House was put on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1999. The late 1890s home was designed by prominent Brisbane architect Richard Gailey, also responsible for Moorlands, within Wesley Hospital’s grounds.
“It’s a colourful piece of Queensland history,” Mr McNamara said. “It was built for a businessman Louis Stamm, who is variously described as a newspaper proprietor, brewer and merchant.
“At one stage, he owned 42 acres of Indooroopilly he bought in 1873, two years before the train station came and opened up the suburb.”
His daughter, Mary Keating, inherited the house upon his death in 1903. The Keatings lived there until 1999.
More information: Scott Dixon 0439 761 416