Batavia Motor Inne owners yet to provide demolition date but are ‘aligning’ plans with preferred contractor

The owners of the Batavia Motor Inne have confirmed they are “aligning demolition dates” with a contractor to abolish the derelict site on Fitzgerald Street, which was expected to begin in early 2023. The City of Greater Geraldton had launched legal attempts against previous and current owners in a bid to force demolition of 54 Fitzgerald Street, which has been an open, abandoned eyesore since the 2000s. The directors of the site said they had not confirmed dates for demolition and were still reviewing various options for the future of the site. “By way of update, as you would have noticed the fencing is in place and the site is now secure. We are working through aligning demolition dates with our preferred contractor,” they said. “At this stage we are reviewing various options for the site including office, retail and mixed-use residential.” The property has passed through the hands of multiple owners since becoming abandoned, each of which have been seemingly unable to follow through with their plans to refurbish the building or demolish and start from fresh. After Housing Minister John Carey stepped in and wrote letters to the owners last year calling for something to be done to end the homelessness and antisocial behaviour at the site, the owners of Batavia Motor Inne made efforts to secure the site by installing fencing in January. The current owners — Joe Scaffidi, property developer and husband of ex-City of Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi, as well as his co-directors Anthony Scaffidi and Michael O’Sullivan — bought the property for $572,000 in September 2021.