Alderman Annette Waddle has lodged a notice of motion calling for expressions of interest to buy and develop Macquarie House in Civic Square.

Proposals must satisfy the council that any development would maintain the heritage values of the 1830s building, benefit the community, be financially viable and be easy on the eye.

The under-used building was once responsible for helping to establish the mainland as a significant trading port, a report submitted to council said.

The Crown sold it to the council for $1 in 1996 following a bid by the state government to bulldoze it.

In 2010, the council failed to attract federal government money for a $3.27-million development that would have seen the visitor information centre housed there.

Last year, the council put the building up for tender in an attempt to have somebody use it but none of the submissions were successful.

According to the council's manager of architectural services Matt Skirving, a ''high-quality redevelopment'' of Macquarie House could rejuvenate Civic Square as a focal point for the community.