A crowd of more than 300 people met on Sunday, calling on members of the public to be vigilant to ensure that authorities save the four-storey building, which is on the Victorian heritage register. Sorrento Community Centre was packed for the meeting about the Continental Hotel. Credit:Carolyn Barker Julian Gerner, the pub’s owner, confirmed at the meeting he had put the Continental up for sale. Ursula de Jong, president of the Nepean Conservation Group, said rain had already poured down the walls and birds were making nests in the limestone. Nepean Conservation Group president Ursula de Jong discusses the failed project with her husband and other locals last week. Credit:Simon Schluter

National Trust advocacy manager Felicity Watson said the future of the ‘‘Conti’’ rested on finding a new owner, and soon. "Certainly the longer it stays closed, the longer the risk that it’s going to deteriorate, so we want to see things happen sooner rather than later,’’ she said. Ms Watson said she had never seen so many people at a community meeting for a historic building. There was passion but also ‘‘frustration from people who want to see action, who are worried that the building’s not going to be looked after’’. She said despite the challenges, the Continental was "a great investment and we hope that there are willing purchasers out there who can see the value in taking on this historic building".

Associate Professor de Jong, who is an architectural historian at Deakin University, said the Continental’s limestone walls were exposed on all sides to rain and wind. There were no awnings, and spouting and guttering was either non-existent or non-functioning, meaning stormwater could pour down the walls, as it did during Saturday’s heavy downpour. One doorway was ‘‘a gaping hole’’. Some windows had been boarded up, but there were gaps around them, and there were holes in the walls. She said at this stage there appeared to be no danger the building could fall into the 10- to 17-metre hole dug for the apartment block, but Heritage Victoria and Mornington Peninsula Shire were waiting for an engineer’s report, and also on a heritage architect’s report, both due on July 10. These would ‘‘tell us what state it’s in’’.