Still standing more than a year after demolition

More than a year since the old St John of God Hospital was torn down, a section of the building remains with no deadline in place for the eyesore to be removed.

The remnant of the old hospital was left by the demolition crew after it was discovered part of the building was used as a retaining wall for the adjacent Bury Hill.

City of Bunbury director of planning and development services Bob Karaszkewych said the council and site owner were looking at the options to deal with the complexity of removing the remainingstructure.

Jan Zuideveld, spokesman for the site’s owner, Bunbury City Apartments Pty Ltd, said there were ongoing discussions with the council over the issue.

He said the owners had asked to meet with the council as soon as possible.

“We sent correspondence to the council weeks ago and are waiting for them to respond,” he said.

When asked by the South Western Times if there was a dispute over who was responsible for the remnant, Mr Zuideveld said there was “a level of misunderstanding and concern”.

The owner was unaware the retaining wall had been built into the hospital when the property was bought in 2005.

Three apartment towers have been proposed for the CBD site but the owner has not set a time frame for construction.