City of Greater Geraldton demolition plan questioned by councillor amid crisis

The City of Geraldton is considering demolishing four homes in Point Moore and selling some of the land, while turning the rest into a park at a time when the city is struggling with rental shortages. The City gained possession of the five beach cottages in the West End suburb through default of lease payments. In a report by City chief executive Ross McKim, the council has been recommended to either sell the cottages’ land leases, which he said would provide accommodation on the housing market, or demolish the houses because of their poor condition and turn the vacant land into public open space. The properties — on Marines Lane, Gunners Lane, Sextant Lane and Monsoon Lane — are in a coastal hazard risk zone for erosion and rising sea levels, and have a high risk of failing septic systems which are not compliant with current standards. But the report did not indicate they were uninhabitable or at any immediate environmental risk. One of the five cottages, on Monsoon Lane — the only brick and non-asbestos structure — was recommended in the report to be re-let for 18 years in line with the expiry date of the majority of Point Moore cottage leases. The properties sit on crown reserve land, meaning when sold the home on it is purchased but the land is leased, with the council having the option of requiring the tenant to demolish the home to return it to vacant land at the end of the lease period. At the council’s July agenda forum last Tuesday, Cr Natasha Colliver asked why it had been recommended to demolish most of the low-priced cottages while the city faced a housing crisis. Since July 1 last year, 15 properties in the area have sold from $55,000-$115,000, with a median price of $85,000. “I’m just curious as to why the decision has been made to demolish quite a number of the cottages, bearing in mind we do have a housing crisis at the moment and Point Moore is at the cheaper end of housing should they need it,” Cr Colliver said. Mr McKim said while Greater Geraldton was struggling with a 1.8 per cent vacancy rate, it would be in the City’s best financial interests to sell the properties. “If you re-lease the cottages there’s a significant financial advantage and you are providing four or five dwellings for folk in a time when, we found out today, there is a 1.8 per cent vacancy rate in the rental properties,” he said. “Potential issues down there are associated with the septic system, four of these houses have asbestos, and at some point there is the potential council will have to evict them, like what happened to Drummond Cove, ask these residents to leave because of erosion issues to health issues as per the lease documents. “If you slowly remove them, this way you’re removing them without evicting anyone, if you like, or causing any grief to individual parties.” The City surveyed 202 Point Moore residents and absentee property owners between June 14 and July 5 to inform them of the decision, with 84 per cent of the responses saying the City should sell four of the cottage leases. The council will vote on the recommendation at its ordinary July meeting tonight.