Mawland Favoured
Tuesday February 12 2002

National Parks and Wildlife Service director general Brian Gilligan gave the State Government's commitment yesterday to the long-term lease of North Head's historic Quarantine Station to private interests.

Yesterday's opening session of the commission of inquiry into the environmental aspects of the proposed conservation and adaptive reuse of the Quarantine Station heard preferred lessee Mawland Hotel Management and the NPWS defend the 45-year head lease deal as the best option for the site.

Mawland proposes to redevelop the site into a hotel and conference accommodation complex, with restaurant, an educational and cultural centre and tours.

The start of public hearings comes only days after a second building on the site was destroyed by fire.

In a joint statement to the commission, NPWS and Mawland Hotel Management announced conservation architect Paul Davies had been commission to consider policy issues regarding future options for the destroyed hospital building, designated H1.

These options range from removal and commemoration to reconstruction.

The statement confirmed the third-class accommodation building P22, burnt down last October, would be rebuilt "essentially in its original form".

Mr. Gilligan, representing Environment Minister Bob Debus, said the Quarantine Station was one of the most significant cultural heritage sites in Australia.

He said in 1988 the government of the day, "of different political persuasion than the current government", made the decision to least the site and over the years many options had been considered.

But Mr. Gilligan said the Government had remained strongly committed to several things, including adaptive reuse of the site and "not mothballing or treating it like a monument", and an effective public and private sector partnership.

He said the length and value of leases between the NPWS and the private sector depended on many things including the amount of capital investment by the lessee.

"Obviously in this case (the level of investment) is significant and there's a recognition there needs to be a longer-term lease," Mr. Gilligan said.

Mawland proposes to spend $6 million on conservation work, $4 million to be spent in the first three years.

However the commission, headed by William Simpson requested more information detailing aspects of the economic viability of the Mawland proposal and lease including money allocated to specific building conservation work, sewerage and water costs, and restaurant and accommodation turnover.

Mr. Simpson said there appeared to be a "large number of grey areas" in working out the economics of the proposal.

Mawland's Max Player told the commission the group had been constantly upgrading the financial feasibility of the proposal as it had responded to changes introduced to meet new conditions.

However he said more than 60 per cent of the revenue raised from the site would come from the accommodation and restaurant areas and that revenue would be needed to pay for conservation.

He said ensuites for a proportion of the hotel rooms, condemned by a large number of opponents and a 45 year lease, were essential for viability.

The inquiry continues today.