Development application lodged for former Batavia Motor Inne site by current owners to build 21 apartments

The last standing building on the infamous Batavia Motor Inne site will be transformed into 21 serviced apartments, under a development application that executive staff are urging councillors to approve. The application has been recommended for approval despite ongoing legal action the city launched against the owners of 54 Fitzgerald Street — including the property developer husband of former Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi, Joe Scaffidi, and two others — over alleged failure to comply with the demolition order. The proposed tick of approval comes with a raft of 15 conditions, including that planning approval will only last for four years, that rubble be removed and disposed of before occupation, that there be appropriate parking and outdoor lighting and that plans must not be changed without council approval. City executives concluded the proposed development “will enhance and improve what has for some time been a ‘derelict’ site.” “The development is generally consistent with the relevant planning framework and will make a positive contribution to the locality,” city co-ordinator statutory planning Neraida Browne wrote in a report to the council. “The renewal and legitimate occupancy of the remaining building will provide additional housing amid the current national shortage, with the increased legitimate use of the site dissuading antisocial behaviour.” The owners want to turn the two-storey building into 21 short-stay serviced apartments, with graffiti to be removed, the building repainted, and doors and windows repaired. It would feature landscaping, pergolas and a communal barbecue area. The application only includes 20 car bays, but council staff state it must have a parking spot for each apartment. One of the ground-floor apartments has been proposed to be designed as an all-abilities accessible apartment. The abandoned eyesore has been a magnet for criminal activity, antisocial behaviour and squatters for more than a decade, and for years the council had tried to force the various owners to act, including an offer to buy the site, attempts to negotiate and several legal actions, one which is still ongoing. The demolition order required all buildings on site to be removed, but the council took the matter to court after one building was not torn down amid the rubble. In May, the owners flagged their intention to seek development approval for the remaining building and stated they were investigating how to remove the rubble and recycle it into road base or infill. Councillors will debate the matter at this week’s agenda forum on Tuesday, before a final vote at next week’s full council meeting.