dedja wrote:This article is 6 years old, don’t have an update… probably because there isn’t one.
There was an internal explosion (suspect the owner might have tried the equivalent of accidentally but on purpose poisoning a tree that a council won’t allow to be cut down) and it has a massive amount of graffiti … it’s amazing it’s still standing, but only just.
It’s actually ridiculous because the building is so dilapidated and damaged you’d have to completely rebuild it which would defeat the purpose of the heritage listing.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenge ... 6b20f3a9a9The first person convicted of neglecting a State Heritage-listed building has dropped his appeal against a $26,000 fine but the future of the decaying property remains unclear.
Environment Minister David Speirs said that a change of ownership of the derelict Bell’s Plumbers Shop — made during criminal proceedings against the previous owner of the College Park property — had left its future in doubt.
“It’s complicated because the ownership of the property has changed and the conviction was attached to the person, not the property,” he said.
He said the State Government was not looking at compulsory acquiring the property, though it was an option.
“I don’t want to make any specific commitments there,” Mr Speirs said.
“It’s something I’d have to take to Cabinet because it sets a particular precedent and obviously has a cost associated with it.”
Norwood Payneham and St Peter’s Council wrote to Mr Speirs this year urging him to compulsorily acquire the building and restore it.
Former owner Philip Leslie March was convicted in the Environment Resources and Development Court in August last year of failing to repair the 135-year-old building on Payneham Rd.
The conviction came nearly eight years after former Labor minister Paul Caica issued the first heritage protection order, compelling Mr March to repair the building, built in 1883 by former premier John Colton.
In February 2012, Mr March transferred the property to Panamanian registered company Omega Exploration Pty Ltd, whose sole director is Jesse Samuel Tolley, in a move Judge Jack Costello ruled at the time was “clearly designed” for him to avoid complying with a heritage protection order.
The Courts Administration Authority has told The Advertiser that Mr March dropped his appeal against his conviction in June.
Mr Tolley’s father Mark Tolley said he had “no comment” to make when asked what his son’s intentions were for the property. When asked if he was just going to let the building sit there, he said: “Yes, indeed.”
The building has been vandalised and damaged, most recently by a deliberately lit fire last year. Mr Speirs said the Government would “probably” take ownership of the property if Mr Tolley wanted to hand it over, which he thought would be unlikely considering its land value.
Local Mayor Robert Bria said more incentives were required to help owners of heritage properties bring them up to standard.
Only guessing but $26k proabbly wouldnt have went very far when it comes to fixing up that place.
Owner probably found it cheaper to pay the fine than it was to fix the building. I'm guessing the land itself has probably gone up in value so the owner probably isnt to fussed.
… and more importantly why have I got the wrong version on at least a couple of occasions 
