City takes action on Batavia Motor Inne

Increased dilapidation and safety risks at the Batavia Motor Inne site have sparked the City of Greater Geraldton taking further legal action.

Previously the City had issued a building order on the owners of the derelict and dangerous site located on Fitzgerald Street which has been vacant for years and attracting anti-social behaviour.

In 2019, the City issued the owners with a building order to demolish and secure the site fully – however no action was taken.

The owners of the site have subsequently gone into voluntarily administration and an Administrator appointed.

With no further communication, the City took legal action against the owners who have now been fined for a significant breach of the Building Act 2011.

City of Greater Geraldton CEO Ross McKim said it was ultimately a community safety issue.

“We are very aware of the ongoing issues at the site and it needs to be properly secure in order to maintain the safety and wellbeing of our community members,” he said.

“It’s a small win for us, but hopefully it means we can see some progress on the site to get rid of the eyesore in our CBD.

“Especially given the current health crisis, we need to ensure people aren’t congregating in there which we have seen a lot of.”

Recent court proceedings have resulted in the company being fined a penalty of $25,000 and also ordered to pay the City’s costs of $1,395.40.

The City continues to work with police to alleviate ongoing vandalism and anti-social behaviour at the site.