25 Marine Parade Watsons Bay NSW 2030

I am devastated that this iconic Watsons Bay house will be demolished. It is a distinctive old house in a very historic area, and much loved by locals and visitors alike - tourists often stop to take photos outside it. Does this dwelling have to be entirely knocked down, and is there no heritage order on it? Demolition of this house will further reduce the distinctive character of Australia's first fishing village; make it even more bland, ugly and anonymous. If only stricter controls were put on the older houses in the area, like they are in Paddington. People love Watsons Bay because of the architecture of its old cottages, and planning decisions to destroy those cottages are destroying the distinctive historic nature of the area. Thank you.

The property at 25 Marine Parade was purchased by my grandparents in the 1930’s and the current original house built with later additions. My grandmother designed the house and the gondola wall and had it built by an Italian craftsman, it became a landmark, I don’t know about any Italian fishermen using it to guide their boats. The men in our family fished for pleasure and to bring fresh fish home to eat.
I grew up in that house and my mother sold it in the 1980’s, it would be sad to see the gondola demolished but the only claim we have is memories and sentiment.
Thank you,
Joan Clarke (nee Portelli)
Canada

This gondola house and wall is an iconic landmark on the waterfront of Watsons Bay that hundreds of locals and thousands of visitors have enjoyed for many many years. Why destroy the history, and homogenise the locale, when it is the very history and quirks of the neighbourhood that people come to see? Why not preserve these elements of history for all to enjoy? Inch by inch they are being deleted. The street scape of Watsons Bay is changing even though the DCP for the area is supposed to preserve this for posterity. Please ensure that at least this gondola wall is retained for posterity. Be clever, and incorporate it into the modernisation of the house.