Concerned residents oppose the plan to knock down a pre-1911 house on Sackville St, Milton to make way for a new development despite it being “structurally unsound”.
Brisbane City Council gave the green light to demolish the rundown dwelling at 8 Sackville St, Milton which was sold for $890,000 in November 2021. The heritage house shows extensive mould and termite damage with vegetation growth around its walls extending to the roof. The owners said that it would cost almost $350,000 to restore the house and make it safe to live in.
A community group, however, expressed opposition to the plan stating that heritage homes fall into a state of disrepair because of neglect and owners use its derelict state and the high cost of fixing the damage to convince the council to allow its demolition. The group said that Brisbane is losing heritage homes one by one through demolition and that laws protecting pre-1911 homes are “weak”.
The cost to restore the home, they say, may not be that “excessive” after all considering that fixing it and even raising it to add a new build underneath could help increase its value. And many similar homes in the neighbourhood, they say, were actually successfully restored and the same could be done for the pre-1911 house on Sackville Street.
Meanwhile, a social researcher said such a case is an example of the increasing problem in Brisbane where more and more people are coming in but many lots have heritage homes on them that are not built for subdivision to accommodate such growth.
He said that whilst it would be more convenient, especially for owners who couldn’t afford the cost of restoration, to knock down a rundown post-war home, it might be wise to at least keep “some key aspects of the home” because more and more investors are “looking for history” and older-style homes are very appealing to them.
Most of all, there is greater value in keeping these heritage homes for the next generation to appreciate, he said.
