MEDIA RELEASE - HERITAGE CONCERNS - CHURCH DEMOLITION PROPOSAL WOONONA
Councillor Kerrie Christian, confirmed concerns about proposals to demolish the Uniting Church had been raised by community members of Wollongong Council's Heritage Advisory Committee.
"I understand that there are extensions proposed for the Bulli Uniting Church," explained Cr Christian, "and that the Woonona operations would be consolidated into Bulli."
It was reported by community members at a recent Heritage Committee that the IRT, Illawarra Retirement Trust, was a likely purchaser after demolition.
"A number of Heritage Committee members felt it was a shame that the building couldn't be incorporated into the IRT's plans as a usable facility," commented Cr Christian.
Cr Christian also explained that it has been suggested that there may been burials on the site and as a consequence there was a need to do some archaeological work, as well as provide heritage information on the site before any decision could be taken by full Council on the demolition.
"We will also be having an informal planning conference prior to any determination by Council and interested community members would be able to attend," stated Cr Christian.
There has been some concern in the Heritage Committee that the new State Government Legislation introduced last July for building and development applications , and its implications for buildings of Heritage significance.
"Council staff have tried to get the new legislation implementation guidelines right, so that inappropriate activity wouldn't occur," commented Cr Christian, "but it does seem that when new planning legislation has been introduced in the past, there have been a few loopholes exploited by some developers - but we generally move quickly to close them off."
Cr Christian also advised that the Heritage Committee had also been involved in several strategic planning sessions on the handling of heritage issues and sites. She was confident that this would have positive outcomes for heritage matter in the Wollongong area.
"We've got a very good committee who are knowledgeable across a range of areas in heritage and they are very committed - so I think the planning processes are an excellent approach as we head into the 21st Century," stated Cr Christian.
Authorised Cr Kerrie Christian 0408 115 099
April 29 1999
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