Community & Business
2 October, 2024
Loved igloo to be demolished
THE fate of Malanda’s much-loved igloo has been sealed, with Tablelands Regional Council voting to demolish the Patrick English Pavilion rather than spend the money to repair it.
Council made its decision based on the back of its community consultation, including an online survey by 281 people, and were not persuaded by a petition with 2000 signatures calling for the heritage building to be retained and repaired. A council report said it “indicates significant community interest in the facility, however, the subject of the petition is not economically achievable”.
The council’s survey was strongly criticised at the time because it did not allow locals the option of retaining and repairing the building.
“One of the largest challenges faced during the engagement sessions was that a part of the community does not accept the conclusion in the engineering report that repair of the facility is not an option,” a report to council stated.
Council has previously stated that repairing several curved timber trusses of the 1940s building would cost $2.3 million and says that during consultation in 2019 with local user groups, associations and lease holders, it was determined the building was at the “end of useful life, and no longer met the needs of the growing diverse community”.
Out of the 282 people who did the online survey, 84.3% (or 237) supported the removal of the igloo and the construction of a new fit-for-purpose building, while 44 supported the removal of the existing structure to be replaced by a similar “igloo” building.
TRC now faces having to demolish the building, which is listed as a “Local Heritage Place” in council’s planning scheme and, to do that, a development application must be submitted for council’s approval.
The way in which TRC has handled the pavilion is the subject of a 77-page complaint that has been lodged with the Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA), the Ombudsman and the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Cr Dave Bilney spoke passionately about the whole situation during last week’s meeting, saying he had been individually targeted, was investigating his rights in the wake of “comments made by some people” and had “self-referred” to the OIA over allegations made about him although he did not expand on what they were.
“The Patrick English Pavilion stands as a reflection of history and it must be remembered that any legacy is built on a strong foundation,” he said.
“In the case of the Patrick English Pavilion, you cannot build on broken.”
He also defended the council’s actions in pursuing a multi-purpose building for the site, saying a report presented to council in December 2020 had given council officers direction to investigate a new building for Malanda. Chief executive officer Gary Rinehart also referred to that report, saying “officers were guided by the decision” taken by council in 2020.
Cr Bilney also raised the prospect of council being able to tap into funding streams to make a new building part of the disaster resilience of the town.
Mayor Rod Marti addressed the meeting, reiterating that the current pavilion was beyond repair.
“It’s not a viable option (to repair it) – structurally, it’s spent,” he said.
“There’s an opportunity now for the community and the council to work on a new Patrick English Pavilion, one that can serve the community well into the future.”
Cr Kevin Cardew said he wanted the community to be aware that when the pavilion is demolished, it would not affect the cafeteria, the function room or the toilet facilities.
He also suggested that council should establish an advisory group to ensure that the community’s views were taken into account when designing the new building.
Mr Rinehart confirmed that the community would be consulted about the “look and uses” of any new building.
In making the decision to demolish the pavilion, the council report made it clear the organisation does not have the funds to replace the building with a multi-purpose centre for some time, with only an “options analysis” for such a centre earmarked for the 2025-26 financial year.
Cr Bilney told the meeting that funds were earmarked for a new multi-purpose centre in the 2027-28 and 2028-29 financial years but said the funding would now have to be “reconsidered and brought forward”.
In the wake of the sentiment shown by the community for the existing igloo, officers have also recommended that salvageable components could be incorporated into the new building to “honour the history of the pavilion”.
