Demolition order number two: will St James Anglican church survive?

Will historic St James Anglican Church at Minto avoid demolition for the second time in two months?

The 15 Campbelltown councillors will make that decision tomorrow night – unless another delay is imposed.

But the public have already made up their mind – they don’t want a bar of demolition.

Council considered the Anglican Church’s original application for demolition on February 14.

But after concerns were raised the Kent Street structure may be of historical value – even though it is not heritage listed – the matter was deferred for a site inspection.

The site inspection was conducted on March 21 when councillors were given the opportunity to see for themselves if the church building was worth saving for posterity.

A number of submissions and petitions with more than 500 signatures objecting to the proposal were received when the council made public the application for demolition.

However, a report to council for tomorrow night’s meeting (April 18) still recommends demolition, as did the report for the February 14 meeting.

♦ Councillors will also vote on a trial music program as part of making local libraries more inclusive for children on the autism spectrum.

Cr Margaret Chivers started the ball rolling last November when she requested an investigation and report on how to provide a program that could be trialled through library services that caters for autistic children.

It now looks likely that the pilot program will kick off on May 2, at the start of the second term of school.

The music program would run from 10am until 11am and would be organised together with Macarthur Disability Services.

The report to council for tomorrow night says “HJ Daley Library Campbelltown has been identified as the most appropriate location for the pilot program as it has a dedicated room that can be used for the trial program’’.

♦ Another newly elected Labor councillor, Karen Hunt, has tabled a notice of motion for tomorrow night’s meeting calling for “fauna exclusion fencing’’ to be imposed on development applications along Appin Road and Gilead, the massive housing release just past the edge of St Helen’s Park.

Councillor Hunt’s notice of motion says that “as part of the planning process involving all development applications relating to Appin Road and Gilead, Council include a requirement for Fauna Exclusion Fencing and appropriate tunnels or high crossing points to be provided by the applicant, to enable safe access for fauna through the wildlife corridors’’.

Appin Road is considered a koala habitat hotspot in the Macarthur region.

♦ The meeting tomorrow night starts from 6.30 in the council chambers on the third floor of the administration building in Queen Street.