Mendelssohn Constructions acquire IXL building at Beauty Point

A former IXL canning facility at Flinders Street was acquired by property developer Trent Mendelssohn after his construction company Mendelssohn Construction was approached by the former owner to do a quote on asbestos removal.

The West Tamar Council had issued an abatement notice to the previous owner compelling them to complete works including asbestos removal to ensure the site was safe for the community.

"The previous owner didn't have the financial capital to outlay for those works and so the opportunity arose for us to buy it," director Trent Mendelssohn said.

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Work on asbestos removal has begun on site, and is expected to continue until mid-April. Along with the asbestos removal, work is also underway on securing the site and making it safe.

However the works have raised concern for some neighbours in the area, who are worried the significant amount of asbestos will cause problems for their health.

Asbestos removal is regulated by WorkSafe Tasmania and a WST spokesperson said they had been contacted twice in relation to the building, but inspectors attending had ensured it was compliant.

"Inspectors have attended the site and determined that the businesses involved in the asbestos removal activities are complying with their legislative obligations," they said.

Mr Mendelssohn said the site was in a great location, but unfortunately the building itself was in poor condition and had been the home of squatters in the past.

"We have had to do a lot of work throwing out all the junk from squatters, and we have a lot more to go before it's all done."

Mr Mendelssohn said Beauty Point was an area that had experienced growth, and the site was an "untouched gem" that had extremely high potential.

"The site definitely has a legacy for Beauty Point, whether it's a good one or not [remains to be seen]," he said.

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Since acquiring the property, Mr Mendelssohn said residents had been in touch wanting to go in and take photos.

"A lot people used to work there or they know a family member who did, there's a lot of connection to the place," he said.

West Tamar mayor Christina Holmdahl said the council had issued am emergency order to compel the owner of the property to remove the asbestos and secure the site for future development.

However no development application has been lodged with council.

"[The] council have been and continues to work with the owner of the property in supporting WorkSafe Tasmania to reduce the risk to the public from the materials containing asbestos," Cr Holmdahl said.

Mr Mendelssohn said the building would be demolished to make way for a future subdivision, but there were no plans lodged with the council yet. Mendelssohn Construction is a family-owned business with expertise in asbestos removal and subdivisions.

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