Bathurst council launches search for old ambulance station tenant

Bathurst Regional Council has launched a registration of interest (ROI) process to find a tenant for the former ambulance station in William Street, next to Haymarket Reserve.

The building served as the home base for paramedics in Bathurst for 90 years until a new facility, built from the ground up, opened in Commonwealth Street in mid 2019.

READ MORE: Take a look inside the new Bathurst Ambulance Station

The NSW government offered to sell the old ambulance station to council in December, 2018 for the price of just $1, on the condition it remained council's possession for a minimum of 15 years.

Another condition of the sale, according to Bathurst MP Paul Toole, was for the building to be predominantly for community use, however, some commercial use was still permissible.

Mayor Jess Jennings hopes the ROI process uncovers a suitable tenant who can revitalise the prominent central business district building.

The possibilities for it are almost endless.

"I see it as an incredible heritage asset in a prime location, both in terms of exposure, but connected to an integral part of our CBD, and it represents a substantial component of Bathurst's history," Cr Jennings said.

"Like a lot of the old heritage buildings, if they're reworked in a sympathetic, but contemporary manner, the uses for them are extremely wide-ranging, anywhere from community use activities, cafe-bistro potentially integrated with workspaces, offices, those kind of commercial activities, and retail.

"That building offers all of those possibilities, and it's structurally sound and has a phenomenal amount of potential to really sparkle at the end of William Street there."

It is the location, he said, that will be most appealing to prospective tenants, and worth the effort it would take to bring the inside of the old building up to standard.

"Great heritage, great physical structure and great location; all those three together make it, I think, a once-in-a-generation opportunity," Cr Jennings said.

While he said he has not personally been involved in any direct negotiations, he understands there is already interest out there in the building.

One of the things Cr Jennings is keen to avoid is a repeat of the old TAFE building, also located in William Street, which remains unused more than seven years after the NSW Government officially handed it back to council.

"Hence, I've actually asked for this ROI to be a priority immediately and I'm looking forward to seeing submissions when they come in," he said.

Council will use the ROI to shortlist suitable tenants, as well as to:

The ROI will close on November 28, 2023 at 10am and the registrations are to be submitted through Tenderlink.

Cr Jennings said he expects council to review any submissions received soon after the ROI closes.

He thinks it is possible to secure a tenant before the end of the 2023-24 financial year.

"I fully recognise that we've got a string of stranded assets in these old heritage buildings and it would be fantastic news to get the first one up and running and tenanted in the near future," he said.

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