Rose Cottage remains vulnerable

A general meeting of the Bensville residents association voted 63 per cent in favour of saving and relocating Rose Cottage onto Ben Davis reserve in the village centre on February 8.

Following this, notice of motion was put forward by Cr Geoff Preece to source Gosford Council funds for the removal of the 110-year-old historic house "Rose Cottage" in Bensville from its present site across the road to the Ben Davis reserve opposite.

On Tuesday, February 25, at the 11th hour, during the council meeting, the developer in his wisdom suddenly withdrew his former offer of a gift of the house to the community.

He claimed the offer to Gosford Council had expired at January 31 and the council had not responded by then, and he was now considering legal action options.

He claimed he was forced now to sell the property at auction on March 1.

Why he did not wait to see the result of the council meeting is still an unexplained mystery.

This left the attempt to source money for the buildings suddenly hanging with nowhere to go.

Council struggled for a way forward.

Council officers stated that the heritage compliance clause in the Development Application (DA) has not been fulfilled as a result.

Council has now decided to discuss that issue at next week's meeting and possibly delete it off the DA.

This leaves Bensville Residents with the auction sale on Saturday, March 1, of the Rose Cottage site to take place now with no offer to save the house and shop and only the request by council for approaches to the new owners if sold but with Gosford Council's indication that the house can be demolished and a valuable piece of Gosford's ship builder heritage lost.

If this is also refused by the new owner, the house is now sorely exposed to destruction as there will then be no heritage protection on the site.

Alan Richardson, Bensville Residents Association