[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ld St James Anglican Church is Minto’s oldest standing building.
It was originally built on the corner of Minto Road and Cumberland Road 121 years ago in 1897.
One hundred years ago, in 1918, it was dismantled and re-erected on its current site in Kent Street, Minto.
For the past two years local residents, especially Laurie Porter and Joan Cootes, have been fighting a rearguard action to stop the Anglican Church from getting permission to demolish it.
Tonight at Campbelltown Council’s monthly meeting, councillors will get the opportunity to not only stop demolition but to also have St James heritage listed.
If they do vote that way, they will be going against council’s own policy since 2011, to not heritage list private properties without the owner’s consent.
This owner has made it clear it does not share council’s or residents’ enthusiasm for heritage listing.
The original development application for demolition of old St James was lodged with Campbelltown Council in August 2016.
When council publicly exhibited the proposal it received eight written submissions and two petitions objecting to the proposed demolition on heritage grounds.
The church parish on the other hand said demolition was necessary because of the poor structural condition of the building, the safety hazard posed to the public and users of the site, and the prohibitive cost of repairs.
The application was refused by council almost a year ago to the day.
The applicant appealed to the Land and Environment Court, however this appeal was discontinued after council issued an Interim Heritage Order (IHO) for St James last October.
A report to tonight’s meeting says the IHO will lapse on April 13, “however can be extended for a further six months if council formally resolves to heritage list the building prior to the expiry date’’.
Council engaged independent heritage consultants Heritage 21 to undertake further investigations and report on the potential heritage listing of the subject building.
“The Heritage 21 report provides a number of recommendations, mostly in favour of listing old St James as an item of local heritage significance and for the building to be fully restored,’’ says the report to council.
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Also on the agenda for tonight’s meeting is a proposal for Indigenous names for four new parks in Willowdale residential development.
If approved the Campbelltown local government area will soon boast local parks called Dingu Park, Durelle Park, Ngungi Nguru Park and Yirran Burraay Park – unless there are objections when the proposal goes to public exhibition and comment for the usual 28 days.
- Tonight’s council meeting will start from 6.30pm in the council chambers on the third floor of its Queen Street administration building.
