Red Hill’s skate park has just been given a new lease on life. The new owners, Brett Heading and his partner, Susan Mercer who run the famous Clovely Estate Cellar Door purchased it in 2011 and they now have plans to rebuild it.
The former skate park is a heritage-listed building that was built in 1920s but got neglected after it burned down on Boxing Day in 2002. Mr Heading and Ms Mercer originally planned to turn it into a function centre with retail shops and restaurants. The plans had already been submitted to the Brisbane City Council but the locals objected.
Mr Heading and his partner, though, remains optimistic and says that they haven’t given up on reviving the dilapidated building. The current development plan that they have lodged with the council proposes a two-level building. A part of it is to be an extension leading to the Clovely Estate Cellar Door.
The skate park is considered one of Brisbane’s eyesores. Ever since the fire, it left crumbling concrete walls, which later became a blank canvas for graffiti artists. Despite what seems to be a derelict building in the suburb, many locals are apprehensive about new developments on the site with concerns over parking, traffic congestion and noise.
At the height of its popularity, the skate park was the best place to go to for a night out with friends, with its lively music and brightly-lit interiors.
Today, what once was a happy and joyous place still remains abandoned. Waiting for a revival.