ROYAL GEORGE HOTEL —
REDEVELOPMENT
719. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the minister representing
the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the Royal George Hotel
site in East Fremantle.
(1) When did the
state government become the owner and/or custodian of the Royal George and in what
circumstances?
(2) Subsequently, when was the site
sold; to whom; and for what price?
(3) What
conditions, if any, were placed on the new owners to limit or define
redevelopment options—for example, refurbishment of the old hotel
building?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) In 2015, the
National Trust was required to surrender the land back to the state of Western Australia
as negotiations between the trust and the proponent were leading to a sale that
could not be supported under the previous tenure arrangement.
(2) The site was
sold on 12 June 2017, to 34 Duke Street Pty Ltd, for $570 000, plus goods and
services tax. The purchase price was determined by the Valuer General and took
into consideration the significant conservation works required to be
undertaken.
(3) The sale was
conditional on the purchaser entering into a binding heritage agreement under
the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990. The heritage agreement details the
conservation works required to be completed within three years of the effective
dates and provides for ongoing maintenance of the hotel. The hotel is to be
restored in conjunction with, or before, any proposed development on the rear
of the property and, to ensure this, the Department of Planning, Lands and
Heritage registered an absolute caveat on the freehold title.