Community stands behind Bondi Boot Factory

A 121-year-old building in Bondi is set to be demolished in the face of calls from the community to keep the historic boot factory standing on its feet.

Director of Bondi Transition, Lance Lieber, said Waverley Council had neglected to speak to the community about the preservation of the site.

“Decisions like this should be made through democratic processes, especially when it comes to the big assets. It’s quite an important heritage item and certainly [significant] to the history of Bondi,” he said.

Councillor Paula Masselos expressed her concerns over a lack of transparency in the discussions, saying Council had failed to acknowledge all of the alternatives provided by the April 13 engineers’ report.

“I am very upset there wasn’t a proper discussion beforehand. There was no community consultation,” she said.

“[There were no] options about how it could be saved, no costings, no dilapidation report, and worst of all no acknowledgement of the heritage importance of this building.”

Last month co-director of Rescue Bondi, Gabi Tobias, lobbied the State Government to acknowledge the site as state heritage listed in a bid for its preservation.

“It is odd that the boot factory satisfies four of the [seven] State Heritage Registry Criteria, yet wasn’t deemed of significant heritage value for interim listing,” she said.

Tensions now stand over air space rights and future development of the site, with Waverley Mayor Sally Betts refuting claims the heritage boot factory will become a high-rise complex.

A 1991 ICAC report on development applications in Bondi said the full development potential of the site had not been realised as a result of the limitations set by the Heritage Act of 1977, with heritage Council officers stipulating “the building be not just retained, but also accessible and visible from Spring St”.

According to Councillor John Wakefield, the introduction of a new local environment plan (LEP) for Waverley in October 2012 meant that all previous sales of “air rights” were voided and could now be transferred to a new developer.

By selling these rights, Mr Wakefield said Council could use the funds raised to preserve the boot factory and transform the area into a functioning commercial and community space.

“Those air rights are [approximately] worth $1 million. If you combine that with the $3 million we just received from a developer a few months ago … you redevelop the Mill Hill Centre, restore the boot factory next door and you create a public space,” he said.

Councillor Paula Masselos said the site could become an important income generating asset, with the potential for a heritage building restaurant and public film screenings.

She suggested the site could also be turned into a museum of surfing culture, making it an “inviting space” for the community with revenue being directed towards the upkeep of Waverley Cemetery.

“Heritage buildings have character; they’ve got soul. I think there would be a number of different businesses who would be very happy to go into a space like this,” she said.