Heritage decision is deferred

Gosford Council has resolved to defer making a decision on including additional items of environmental heritage in its Draft Heritage Local Environment Plan (DLEP).

Council has deferred the item to a strategy policy workshop.

Several Peninsula properties were recommended for inclusion in the draft LEP along with shops and public areas.

Shops and public areas were the Booker Bay cemetery, the Patonga Store, the Phegans Bay walking track, an Anglican Church at Empire Bay and the Pretty Beach baths.

The Heritage DLEP was exhibited from July 20 to September 14 last year.

An adjoining owner to the Booker Bay Cemetery, in Bogan Rd, Booker Bay, submitted a comment that there "is no cemetery" and that "rate dollars should be spent on something productive like water shortage, roads, footpaths, not heritage rubbish".

With these comments, along with comments from the Environmental Heritage Advisory Committee, council officers subsequently recommended that the cemetery be removed from the draft LEP.

The owner of 9 Bay St, Patonga, an adjoining property owner to the Patonga Store, commented on its proposed heritage listing.

The submission stated that the shop had been completely demolished except for a few walls, open to the weather, "which will accelerate their decay until there is nothing left".

The submission also commented that trees shown on original development consent plans, but not the revised plans, had been removed.

"It seems that council has failed in its duty of care in the preservation of this significant heritage site and developers should be penalised for causing such damage to this unique store," the submission stated.

Council staff commented on the development stating that "the existing building has been substantially demolished in accordance with condition 32 of the original consent" and that a site inspection by council officers showed that the demolition was compliant.

The owner of 94 Monastir Rd commented on the proposed listing of the Phegans Bay Walking Track from 80 to 100 Monastir Rd, Phegans Bay.

The owner objected to having the "unofficial pathway" listed for heritage conservation stating that it had previously run through the property but now had a house constructed over it.

The owner stated that council should be directing all its efforts to more pressing and long standing issues such as sewage odour control.

Council staff stated in a report to council that the listing of the track as a heritage item could not affect the existing house built on 94 Monastir Rd and did not mean that the track had to be reconnected.

At Empire Bay, the congregation, the Parish Council and the Trustees of Church Property strongly opposed the inclusion of the Rosella Rd Anglican Church as an item of environmental heritage.

The submission stated that the church building was a small weatherboard building which was completely eaten out by termites in the 1960s and replaced.

"The building itself appears to have no architectural merit," the submission stated.

Council staff commented in the report that heritage listing did not mean that the property could not be changed.

The report also stated that the Pretty Beach baths were in such a degraded state that removal "may be required in the future".

Changing sheds were rotting, and that netting and poles would need replacement.

"The pool is not used by the community and this indicates that it is not worth the cost of replacement.

"If any major maintenance is to be undertaken the pool needs to be brought into line with Practice Note 15 on water safety."

Under the DLEP heritage provisions, demolition of a heritage item is possible subject to development consent.

Council agenda ENV.37, April 4