What’s up with the long-deserted mechanics in The Basin?
Hope is on the horizon for locals of The Basin who have had to live with the "eyesore" of a former mechanics left abandoned for eight-and-a-half years with a permit application for a service station submitted to Knox Council.
Matthew Sims
June 19, 2025
A site in The Basin which has remained unused for more than eight years, often becoming a hive of graffiti, has pushed the community to its breaking point.
Located at 1300 Mountain Highway, the former mechanics has since become a fenced-off, painted-over question mark on The Basin’s main roundabout. But what’s actually going on with the site? Who owns it? And will anything ever be built there? There’s no shortage of opinion amongst locals when it comes to the who, what, and why of the matter – but the truth is a little more direct.
How long has it been empty?
The Eastern Melburnian spoke to Hillview Motors and Tyres owner Ian Hevrich, who owned and operated the site from 2001 until he sold it to a partnership in 2016 for $1,065,000. Hevrich said initial plans were to develop it into a service station and convenience store.
However, he said the partnership split up not long after the sale.
According to property documents, the site was then sold in January 2022 for $1,034,000.
Documents obtained by the Eastern Melburnian also reveal National Fuels Pty Ltd purchased the site in June 2024 for $1,034,000.
The Eastern Melburnian understands there is no "abandonment fee" associated with the property.
First built by BP in 1965, the site has operated as a petrol station for decades.
Years of advocating for better maintenance
Former Knox mayor Jude Dwight said she was vocal in advocating for the site to be maintained better – or for the owner to consider developing on the site.
In a post made last March, before the most recent sale, she said there were limits on what the site could become.
“Despite what any real estate ads might say, many uses are not permitted on an old service station site, or if they are to be permitted the site must undergo extensive rehabilitation first,” Dwight said.
“This rules out things like cafes and community hubs, et cetera, in the foreseeable future (and especially given they're not what the owner intends).”
Manager of The Basin Community Noticeboard Facebook page, Elise Lacey, told the Eastern Melburnian the site had recently been painted in anti-Semitic graffiti.
“Locals have had enough and local businesses are affected by the appearance of it,” she said.
Potential contamination issues?
Before any work in developing the site is undertaken, including demolition or construction, an environmental audit must be carried out to work out if rehabilitation works are required.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) works within the Planning and Environment Act 1987 in supporting state and local governments with land use planning and development decisions.
Before any development begins or is approved, EPA auditors carry out a Preliminary Risk Screen Assessment, followed by a full environmental audit when appropriate.
In 2016, Knox Council recommended for the application of an Environmental Audit Overlay to the site, which would ensure the requirement for an environmental audit is met before the commencement of any sensitive uses. This overlay still applies to the land.
What’s next?
In a statement, Knox Council said it had "received a planning application to use the site again for a service station, as well as alterations to the existing building and works to provide two hand car wash bays."
Image Credit: Ray White and Jude Dwight