Mayor Matthew Garwood says he has personally received calls from people interested in buying a heritage-listed, council-owned kindergarten, as a bid to rule out that possibility failed.The City of Launceston council is seeking expressions of interest for the future use and potential sale of 56 Frederick Street, believed to be the oldest kindergarten or infant school in Australia.
A motion by Tim Walker to prevent the council entertaining offers on 56 Frederick Street failed. Picture by Paul Scambler
Councillor Tim Walker tabled a notice of motion at the October 19 council meeting to halt that process, extend it to six weeks, and restart it without giving the council the option of selling the building.Cr Walker said the building should remain in council hands, and become a space for all to use.
"We have an extremely significant building in Launceston, built by the people of Launceston, given by the people of Launceston to Launceston Council 136 years ago," he said.
"Let's create a community space. I'm not talking about malls and shopping centres or plazas in front of universities and things like that. I'm talking about significant public spaces that bring society together."
Only councillors Susie Cai, Joe Pentridge and George Razay joined Cr Walker in supporting the motion, and Crs Cai and Pentridge said community groups needed more time to develop use cases.
Responding to a question by Cr Pentridge, the mayor said no formal expressions of interest involving the sale of the property had been received.
However, he said there were people in Launceston interested in buying the building.
"We haven't received any expressions of interest, but that doesn't mean that we haven't had people ... expressing their interest," Cr Garwood said.
"I've had people call me wanting to buy it. I've had people call me that want to use it on a Tuesday afternoon only.
"There's been people interested, but there's been no expressions that have come through the process."
The mayor said he would not support Cr Walker's motion as seeking out all ideas would allow the council to make an informed choice and keep Launceston progressing to its "incredible, next, best self".
Councillor Danny Gibson did not support the motion as it was "superfluous", as the council was under no obligation to sell the building even if it received such an expression of interest.
Cr Gibson said community groups did not need fully-fleshed proposals at this stage.
"There is currently an opportunity for an expression of interest process that allows for first stage indications of what people could use the site for," he said.
"This doesn't require a 24-page fully developed proposal from nonprofit group one, philanthropic group two, or landcare group three, or bread provider four."
Councillor Alan Harris - who attended the school as a child - said councillors visited the building and saw it was in need of an overhaul, which might not happen unless it was sold to private enterprise.
"Interestingly, when we walked in there, and I walked out the back to the toilets, the toilets hadn't changed and they weren't very good in 1966," he said.
"It is a building that needs a lot of money spent on it, and it is money that Cr Walker's motion wishes to cut out.
"If I'm a not-for-profit, and I'm going to invest significant funds in a property that I don't own, I might not put my idea forward."
The expressions of interest period ends on November 3.
THE EXAMINER: Councillor Tim Walker calls on colleagues to rule out Frederick Street property sale
By Joe Colbrook October 17 2023 - 4:30am
A Frederick Street property - possibly the nation's oldest infant school - could go under the hammer, however one Launceston councillor is calling for that option to be taken off the table.
Launceston councillor Tim Walker says selling 56 Frederick Street should not be on the table. Picture by Paul Scambler
The alterations include explicitly ruling out the sale of the property, prioritising community use, and extending the submission deadline to 60 days.
Cr Walker said he "didn't want there to be a chance" that the council would sell the building after receiving an offer "too good to refuse".
Instead, his preference was to keep the building as a community hub as it was well-positioned in the CBD, and potential uses included an arts centre or history precinct.
"This is exactly the sort of thing that can help to build community," Cr Walker said.
"That's really important at the moment.
"We can't hope to address things like antisocial behaviour, if we're not trying to do something different, if we're not trying to provide ways to create connections and build community trust and values. It's a slow road."
He said it was particularly important to retain public spaces, as several - mostly owned other levels of government - had been turned over to private hands over the years.
Councillor Tim Walker. Picture by Rod Thompson
Cr Walker said the sale of the property could be "well-intentioned through economic rationalism", and the council had to consider where its priorities lay when it came to spending the millions it brought in with rates.
"I personally believe that ratepayers want us to do the right thing by the community with that money," he said.
"It would be different if we were a business - and I think this is at the heart of the problem - that some people think of council as a business and think of the councillors as board members.
"That's not what we are. We are obviously a level of government but we are there to create the greatest good from the money that we have."
In a response to the motion, council chief executive officer Michael Stretton said the current expression of interest process was the first stage of several, and was intentionally broad.
"The expression of interest process ... is intentionally broad in scope in order to identify the full range of interest and proposals for the future use of the building," Mr Stretton said.
"Importantly the EOI process has not ruled any options in or out at this stage, which was the direction provided by the council.
"The EOI process also enables the councillors to consider all submissions and make a decision not to sell the building if that is its preference."
Councillors will vote on the motion at their October 19 meeting.
Launceston council seeking interested parties for Frederick Street building ... By Joe Colbrook October 6 2023
The City of Launceston council, which has owned the building at 56 Frederick Street since 1885, is seeking expressions of interest for its future use and ownership.
The council is seeking expressions of interest for the future use of 56 Frederick Street, Launceston. Picture by Paul Scambler
This can include developing the property in partnership with the council, or buying or leasing the property, for residential, community or commercial purposes.
The building was originally used as a school which opened in 1836, and is listed the Tasmania Heritage Register due to its historical significance as possibly the oldest kindergarten or infant school in the state.
Mayor Matthew Garwood said the building, which was most recently used as a childcare centre, was a "unique piece" of the city's history and the council was anticipating receiving some creative proposals.
"If the walls could talk I think we'd hear some pretty interesting stories," Cr Garwood said.
"Speaking personally, I would love to see a proposal that continues to see that history of community focus carried forward and represented into the future, but the council is bringing an open mind to this process.
"We really encourage these expressions of interest to help us to find a new and vibrant use for this wonderful building." The mayor said
The deadline for expressions of interest is November 3, 2023.
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