PlanningAlerts

42 Comments

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1. I strongly apose the demolition of these two buildings. How can two buildings that were both heritage listed now be up for demolition? Surely they can somehow be incorporated into the new community hub or library?

2. I'm stunned that this is going ahead, given the recent frequent incidence of high density housing approvals by council, not to mention the historical significance of the site. Look at the example of the Rocks demolition / corporatisation and subsequent loss of culture. Strongly oppose this development.

3. These buildings are part of the history of Marrickville. They should be honoured and kept as part of the new development, not destroyed. I oppose the demolition I these buildings.

4. I oppose this as well. As a resident of Livingstone Rd, I want to see the heritage of this area preserved. This is a charming neighbourhood, but I fear it's being developed for dollars at the cost of the residents. I thought all the plans for this site were to include the heritage buildings?

5. We live across the road from these homes. Heritage architecture as exampled here should be embraced. It's homes like these that make Marrickville beautiful. If you start knocking down these old homes you are effectively removing what is part of the soul of our suburb. Once they're gone they're gone! It's so obvious that we should be doing everything we can to keep these old buildings yet
   our council, the very people elected to look after and protect our community seem hell bent on turning it into another Rockdale or Hurstville. Leave them alone!!!
   Work with them.

6. I'm all for the safe redevelopment of the old Marrickville Hospital site, however wish to oppose the demolition of the heritage listed cottages on Livingstone Road. In an effort to maintain the streetscape, and preserve the history of our suburb, I would consider an alternate plan to incorporate their facades into the proposed design.

7. I too oppose the demolition of the previously heritage listed buildings. The history of Marrickville should be preserved for future generations. Surely any development company incorporate the old with new.

8. I oppose the application to remove these buildings, given their already-acknowledged heritage value. Too much ugliness is being introduced into Marrickville in the form of giant concrete blocks. We need to preserve evidence of a time when people actually cared about the look of the suburb.

9. I strongly oppose
   This action to demolish our heritage! These buildings are of fine statute and we must keep
   Them. They hold a strong connection to many locals
   And should remain. Please utilise the facilities that are already established and look at options
   To keep these great old
   Buildings. Thanks
   For your time and concern
   Regards
   Brenda

10. I strongly oppose the demolition of these buildings - why can't they be incorporated into the new plans for the site? Its buildings like these that preserve the character and the spirit of Marrickville. Modern buildings are a dime a dozen, we're LUCKY to have these here. I don't think any residents of Marrickville would like to see these go and would be very upset know this proposal was on the table. We don't want ugly, new, soulless buildings. These are priceless. Please, Marrickville Council, don't let this go ahead. It's a thoughtless, terrible plan none of your constituents would be pleased about.

11. I think the application to demolish these heritage buildings should be soundly rejected by Council. Marrickville Council has permitted too many of its historic buildings to be demolished or unsympathetically altered to the detriment of both the area's history and its current streetscape. As a long-term resident I think this is a wonderful opportunity for the Council to make a positive statement about its concern for the locality's historic importance.

12. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! No-one wants these heritage buildings destroyed, or mature TREES destroyed. You need to rethink your priorities here. Mature trees and heritage buildings are what people love, especially young people. We need to KEEP these JEWELLS if we want to maintain a happy and prosperous neighbourhood. Absolutely EVERYBODY Ive spoken to online wants these buildings and trees incorporated into any new plans. You must do what we, the locals, desire. You are building the library for us and our young people and the future.

13. As an admin of Marrickville History in Photos on Facebook, and a resident for 15 years, I am sickened by the thought of demolition of the historic buildings on Livingstone Rd in Marrickville. For many years, Marrickville has lost hundreds of heritage buildings to development. Planning should not just accommodate the future, but preserve the past. Just a few kilometres from Marrickville these types of buildings do not exist. It is one of the componenets that makes Marrickville so attractive. Enough is enough! Please do not destroy another link to our past.

14. No donations to any one but I lived in a heritage house in Marrickville, spent lots of time in the ED & had ops in The hospital & had friends in the houses you want to demolish, how if heritage listed can they be demolished. Big question & to many changes.

    
    Please keep our heritage alive in Marrickville & not approve the applications.

15. Is marriciville council crazy? What happened to heritage listed properties. Leave them alone and keep the amazing charm of beautiful houses like this in marriciville, I grew up in Petersham and used to walk down that road a lot and admire the beautiful architecture please don't approve the demolishon of these houses

16. I'd hate to see these buildings demolished. Such a shame to lose such fine examples of our history. Why can't we embrace our old buildings? Big cities like New York manage to meld the old and the new beautifully and really make a feature of their historical buildings. I really dislike the modern structures currently being built around Marrickville - ugly and poorly designed.

17. I strongly oppose the demolition of these heritage buildings. So much of Marrickville's history is being lost in the face of mass development. I strongly advise council to see plans for the development of this site which sensitively incorporate the history and heritage of our area.

18. I strongly oppose the demolition of these two properties. Not only are the heritage listed, but the recent trend of Marrickville council towards approving high density housing is having a significant impact on the community, including added pressure for parking and accessing relevant services.

19. I'm for the redevelopment of the old Marrickville Hospital site, however wish to oppose the demolition of the heritage listed cottages on Livingstone Road. In an effort to maintain the streetscape, and preserve the history of our suburb, I would consider an alternate plan to incorporate their facades into the proposed design.

20. I strongly oppose the demolition of these buildings. These buildings have been heritage listed. They should remain heritage listed. Nothing has changed about the buildings . They remain old and they will only get older.

    Marrickville is a wonderful inner Sydney suburb valued highly for its diversity. Diversity of people & diversity of architecture. History such as this can not be brought back. Once it is gone it is gone forever. Australia is a country of relatively young architecture. We do not have castles or colosseums, we have Victorian and Federation buildings, a large number of which have already been destroyed. Imagine the wonderful Rocks area of Sydney now had developers and governments had their way back in the 1960s!

    Please don't destroy Marrickville's wonderful history.

21. I submit my objection to the demolition of heritage houses on the old Marrickville Hospital site. I support a sympathetic re-development of the site into a library and community hub, with plenty of open space, and an element of residential housing.

    Marrickville LGA is rapidly losing much of its historic architecture and therefore its inherent character, and one of the reasons many people choose to live here.

    It must be possible to design a sensitive plan for the site that incorporates these significant buildings. It is lazy and greedy to argue otherwise.

    These 3 buildings were granted high heritage significance by Council, and the recommendation to demolish them and keep a photo 'record' of them is a farce, and a dereliction of council's obligations. The inconsistencies that continually come to light regarding what council will allow a developer to do, and what a resident is allowed to do to their own property, is astonishing and alarming.

22. I am opposed to the demolition of these buildings. Why can't they be used as part of the new development? I am very concerned that council can go back on its own decision to heritage list them in the first place. I think this sets a terrible precedent for ignoring heritage listing of other properties in the area. If council doesn't abide by its own rulings, how we can expect other property owners to do so? Please don't trample our community's built heritage. It's important to our identity.

23. I oppose the demolition of these heritage buildings. I thought we listed buildings on the heritage list to protect them.

24. I am opposed to the demolition of these buildings. I agree with suggestions already made that council sets a very poor example by going back on it's own decisions around heritage listings. Please get creative (and intelligent) around development. Tear it down approaches show no imagination and little concern for the people who live and have lived in the area.

25. I was a former Marrickville Councillor. I oppose the demolition of 182-186 Livingstone Road. These buildings are meant to be protected by Marrickville Council not destroyed by it. The recent inflation of the real estate market should mean there is less financial pressure on this project not more. These buildings could be adaptively reused to help create a multi layered precinct that is in keeping with new Marrickville. Council should fulfill its heritage obligations and retain these buildings.

26. I strongly oppose the demolition of the the heritage listed buildings at 182 - 186 Livingstone Road, Marrickville. I believe they should be incorporated with the development of the old Marrickville Hospital site. While I agree with the development of this site I don't think it should be done at the expense of the heritage and integrity of the Marrickville coucil area.

27. I strongly oppose the demolition of these two beautiful heritage listed buildings . I am all for the sensitive redevelopment of the site with planning that will incorporate the historic buildings already located on site & a site that is accessible and usable by all of Marrickville residents .i am also highly against the recent trend of Marrickville council towards approving high density housing which is having a significant impact on the community, as well as destroying street scapes & detracting from the beauty which is Marrickville ... Why can we not incorporate these buildings into the street scapes as other major cities do ie London , New York etc etc. All this high density development is detracting from the heritage charm of Marrickville as well as negatively impacting traffic flow and accessing relevant services.

28. I strongly object to the destruction of these buildings which Council previously identified as having historical importance to the Marrickville area and therefore gave them Heritage protection. Marrickville is in danger of being over-developed with ugly, poor quality 5+ storey developments that are replacing or overshadowing beautiful old buildings and single level family homes. We live, work and spend our money in Marrickville because of it's unique character of which no small part are the buildings that have been preserved and restored through the love and care of residents for well over 100 years. Plesae Councillors, we have elected you to protect our homes and our lovely area, not allow greedy developers to destroy Marrickville. There are some great examples in the area of developments that have managed to preserve and incorporate the old buildings and existing streetscapes. We need our Council to make this a priority in new developments rather than allow the developers to ride rough-shod over the Community wishes and objections.

29. I object, in the strongest of terms, to the Council's intention to demolish these buildings that the Council had considered worthy of preservation and to then change this intended action to attempt to demolish these buildings (one of them a good example of a two storey Italianate villa which is not common typology for the area).

    There is enough land to provide a footprint adequate enough for both residential development and the construction of a community hub/library. I doubt that residents of this LGA would agree to the building of the library if it was to wantonly destroy the buildings as is being proposed by Council. Other plans have been submitted that incorporate the buildings on Livingstone Road. This should be a precinct of heritage buildings that are enhanced, respectfully by newer buildings. To destroy our heritage on public land would be a contemptuous action.

    It is to be noted that this council's own publications have featured images of these buildings which goes some way to demonstrate the iconic nature of the buildings that have been seen to represent the area.

    Please do not approve demolition of these buildings.

30. I oppose the demolition of these heritage buildings.

    I'm also VERY against the seemingly growing trend of Marrickville Council approving high density housing — it is destroying street scapes/skyline and detracting from the beauty of Marrickville.

    Marrickville Council approve the demolition of 3 heritage buildings yet allow excess amounts of high density apartment blocks to be built.... It just doesn't equate.

31. I object to the plans to demolish these three buildings that were heritage listed, but are somehow no longer protected. I also object to the removal of the mature trees around these buildings.

    I am saddened by the rapid change happening to Marrickville. I recently read that Deputy Mayor Tyler has returned from a tour of New York City about increasing density while repurposing buildings & retaining the original character of suburbs like the Meatpacker District. It can be done. As a community, we rely on our Council & the Councillors to retain our heritage.

    I have been in these buildings & they are lovely. They should be retained. We cannot afford to have more of our history destroyed to make way for buildings that do not fit into the character of Marrickville. There are many of us who love this character & wish to keep it.

    Thank you.

32. Both buildings and trees should be retained as an important part of our heritage. The buildings and their gardens should be appropriately restored.
    The buildings are an irreplaceable part of our heritage.

33. I would like to lodge my objection to the demolition of ANY heritage buildings on the old Marrickville Hospital site. It is unfortunate that the site has fallen into disrepair due to neglect over the past couple of decades, but at the very least the external fabric of the buildings could be retained and restored - and incorporated in to a sensitive design for the new library, community hub and residential housing. These buildings are part of the heritage, history and character of our suburb and have been previously valued by council as being of heritage significance - it is not acceptable to remove that protection in order to make more space for a developer to build on.

34. It saddens me that these buildings have heritage listing so at one stage were obviously considered worthy of keeping and of significance to now have that cast aside like this. I thought heritage orders were to provide protection and ensure buildings of historical significance remain and can contribute to an area. In this vein I would like to see them incorporated into the design for the community hub and not erased from the site.

35. I object to the demolishing of these buildings because of their heritage value and appeal to the community.

36. Very disappointed with Marrickville Council. All this time I thought you guys were big on looking after the wonderful and beautiful historic buildings that abound in our area and contribute to the charming character of our surrounds......but it seems you are just like every other council....dollars talk, heritage walks. Thumbs down Marrickville Council - I oppose this Development Application most vehemently.
    Narelle Levitt....local resident

37. The short-sightedness of Marrickville council is dumbfounding.

    Why are suburbs like Paddington, Newtown and even Redfern desirable places to live? Because they largely retained their heritage buildings, instead of bulldozing them.

    Instead, Marrickville approves the demolition of its beautiful buildings, with all the care of a dump-truck driver backing over a gorgeous garden.

    So, instead of a legacy for countless future generations, we end up with a measly increase in rates, and invaluable assets for the future dumped in the waste, with barely a moment's thought.

    Imagine if Marrickville council has it's way across cities like Paris, London, New York, or countless other cities and towns around thew world...we'd be left with nothing.

    People gravitate towards heritage, and that brings the promise of sustainable, permanent value.

    Instead, we're heading towards being the eye-sore of the inner west.

    Go Marrickville!

38. As a local resident I strongly object to the demolishing of these buildings. These buildings are unique and add irreplaceable historic value to the suburb of Marrickville. These buildings should be retained and appropriately conserved rather then demolished.

39. Dear Sir
    The Marrickville Heritage Society is appalled by the proposal to demolish the 3 heritage listed Victorian villas on the former Marrickville Hospital site. The proposal is completely at odds with previous committements from Council given to the Society and the community about the fate of these buildings.The previous Masterplan, supported by a Conservation Management Plan, identified these buildings as being of HIGH heritage significance, and they were to be retained and adaptively re-used. In fact, CMP Policy 6.7.5, specifically requires that these buildings are retained.

    It appears that since these documents were prepared, and endorsed by Council on behalf of the community, two devious bureaucratic manouevres have been propounded by Council to facilitate the demolition of the villas. Firstly, the Masterplan is being changed to require the demolition of the 3 villas to guarantee the commercial viability of the whole project. Secondly, the individual heritage listing of the villas under the LEP has been removed, and they are now part of the group of heritage items within the Marrickville hospital listing. The heritage Impact Statement that accompanies the application for the demolition of the villas can now make the risible claim that the demolition is supportable as it only "represents partial demolition of the overall listed heritage item" and " is required [by the new Masterplan] to generate sufficient revenue to ensure that the conservation of the retained Hospital buildings (Buildings 1 and 4)".

    It is extraordinary that Council has requested consent for demolition when this new Masterplan has not yet been endorsed by Council, and is indeed still out for public comment. The Society notes that the new Masterplan still requires that the management of the heritage items within the site "is to be generally in accordance with the CMP". Demolition of the three villas, in contravention of Policy 6.7.5, is demonstrably not in accordance with the CMP.

    The Society notes that it is poor planning practice to approve demolition of any building, and particularly a heritage building, without a committment from the proponent as to the repalcement development being included in the same application. This prevents speculative demolition, and the all to common situation of a poor quality replacement being offered once the demolition is effected. The HIS helpfully offers that any replacement building on the site "is expected to be of a high quality design". The Society believes that Council must commit to the design and construction of the new development prior to any further demolition on the site.There are also scenarios where these building could be demolished, under the guise of achieving viability of the new development, and that development not proceeding. If for any reason the Civic Centre development did not proceed (Council's financial situation deteriorates or a forced Council merger makes the Civic Centre redundant), then the community has lost these heritage buildings for no return. More ominously, should Council obtain consent for the removal of all of the existing building stock on the Livingstone Road side of the site, it could be lucratively disposed of to a commercial developer, completely unencumbered by pesky buildings and heritage listings.

    Finally, the Society is angered that these important applications for demolition of the buildings on the site, and the changes to the Masterplan have been released for comment during the Christmas holiday period. This is a typical tactic of any organisation trying to minimise awareness and criticism of a controversial proposal, and surely shows that Council has something to hide.

    The Society calls on Council to retain the three Victorian villas in accordance with the Conservation Management Plan and existing Masterplan, and reject this application for their demolition.

    Scott MacArthur,
    Marrickville Heritage Society

40. Labour Hero’s House to be demolished?

    I’m surprised that the three houses on Livingstone Road will be turned to rubble.

    1. Especially because that the previous report judged them to be of significance.

    2. Especially that any capable architect could incorporate them to give a sensible human scale to the streetscape.

    3. AND especially as I‘m given to understand that Mr John Rowland Dacey, an Australian Labour stalwart lived here. He was a State Treasurer and a ‘Hero to the Working Class’.

    He was sufficiently important to have a complete suburb named for him yet those who are blind to our heritage will destroy his house. Yes?

41. What a disgrace! This is an historical site and needs to be preserved.

42. I think it's very sad. I used to live in 182 Livingstone road as a child and both my parents worked at the hospital . My mother was a translator and secretary to the matron and my dad worked in maintenance. Such a sad thing to have happen