‘Two cowboy’ developers demolish a 159-year-old heritage-listed pub in Melbourne – because the $200k fine is a fraction of what they will make when they transform the building into a block of apartments

• The razing of a Melbourne hotel built during the gold rush has angered Victoria’s planning minister.

The Corkman Irish Pub, built in 1857, was demolished at the weekend, in breach of heritage and work safety regulations.

Richard Wynne has asked Victoria’s building regulator to investigate how the inner-city Carlton hotel was destroyed without proper approval and has vowed to stiffen penalties for developers.

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The Corkman Irish Pub built in 1857 (pictured above) before a demolition crew started pulling it down on Saturday morning