Stopping Brisbane's heritage going up in smoke Albion mill a 'unqiue building' Police hunt two men seen running from the 80-year-old Albion flour mill which is destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning. PT1M35S http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2yb2p 620 349 November 28, 2013 - 8:51AM Brisbane has lost 205 years of its history in a fortnight after fires at two heritage-listed properties. On November 13, the South Brisbane home "Belvedere" had to be demolished after an early morning fire. The 1888-built home in Edmondstone Street had been part of of a string of graceful homes that were some of the most prestigious early 20th century homes in Brisbane. The remains of the Albion Flour Mill. Photo: Australian Traffic Network The streetscape inspired Brisbane writer David Malouf to write how Edmondstone Street's homes gave a sense of identity to early Brisbane. Belvedere was placed on Brisbane City Council's heritage register in 2000. Then on Wednesday the heritage-listed Albion Flour Mill was also badly damaged in an early-morning fire. Part of the Albion flour mill is demolished. In its day Albion's Flour Mill was the city's only working flour mill. It produced flour under the Defiance and White Wings brands until 2004. Built in 1932 for the Gillespie Brothers, until Wednesday it was "a rare example of Depression-era industrial development in Brisbane." On Wednesday evening demolition crews were standing by to demolish an "unsafe section" of the flour mill to let the Albion train station operate. Brisbane's lord mayor Graham Quirk said the loss of the two heritage-listed buildings in a fortnight was "very sad" for the city. "I remember living close to the Albion Flour Mill as a child and could see it from my backyard every day," Cr Quirk said. "So I understand the loss the local community will feel," he said. The LNP-led Brisbane City Council wrote to the LNP state government two weeks ago - on the day after the "Belvedere' fire - to ask for tougher heritage protection. Brisbane City Council wants to be able to offer a "carrot and a stick" approach to persuade owners of council heritage-listed properties to maintain them. Under state law the State Government can direct owners of state heritage-listed properties to maintain properties. Two previous requests from Brisbane City Council to have similar legislation cover council's heritage-listed properties were rejected by the ALP state government. There are other ways of keeping the heritage-listed buildings better protected. Gordon Hemphrey, manager of the Queensland's fire investigation unit, said increased security was needed at unoccupied heritage-listed properties. "If these buildings were kept in a secure manner at all times, to make sure that people can't use them illegally, then the risk of fire [would be] reduced significantly," he said. He said his fire investigation unit did issue compliance orders to property owners if they believed properties were becoming fire risks. But he said no issues had arisen with either the Belvedere or the Old Flour Mill. He said fire examiners were aware there was human involvement in both fires. "Whether it was squatters, whether it was drug addicts, whether there was something more sinister, we don't know," he said. The Flour Mill building was to be transformed in 2016 into a restaurant and commercial centre in the third stage of a transit-oriented development built next to Albion station. Gary Kordic, the state development manager for property developers FKP said he understood the debate to tighten protection for heritage-listed homes. Mr Kordic said he had himself restored a home in Spring Hill which was on Brisbane City Council's heritage list. "We have a perimeter fence on that site, we've got all the entries and accesses boarded off and padlocked," he said. We've got any of the access higher up via the stairs to the windows boarded off. I mean short of having fulltime security on the site - which is expensive for us and for council - I don't know where you draw the line. Police on Wednesday night had no further details on two men seen fleeing the site, although a comfit is likely to be prepared on Thursday.