Heritage moves protect Kings Cross & Brisbane venues

Moves by two governments using heritage listing protection will see present and past entertainment venues saved from demolition.

The City of Sydney voted earlier in the week to propose heritage listing for the Kings Cross block that includes current live music and entertainment – showcasing The Bourbon & Beefsteak and The Empire Hotel.

A developer put forward plans to demolish the whole block – which dated back to the 1890s – and set up apartments at a cost of $47.5 million.

But it was withdrawn after residents protested with two rallies and a petition which drew 12,000 signatures.

In Queensland, the state government moved to protect the Broadway Hotel in Brisbane.

The abandoned Woolloongabba venue was hit in July by fire – its third in eight years. It has been empty since a 2010 fire.

The minister for environment Leeanne Enoch contacted the owner with a stop order, to stop in its tracks any plans to demolish it.

However they can undergo repairs to stop the property from deteriorating.

Minister Enoch said, “The hotel is an important part of our city’s story and has been on the Queensland Heritage Register since 1992.”

The property has previously eyed by a developer who put in a $260 million development application for a 27-storey apartment block.

Deputy premier and member for South Brisbane Jackie Trad further called on Brisbane City Council to not approve any development on this site “that doesn’t include the restoration and preservation of the Broadway Hotel.”