<< Peninsula News 3 December 2002 - Two properties may reach heritage list>>

Two properties may reach heritage list

Gosford Council is planning to place only two Peninsula properties on the heritage list after an extraordinary meeting of the council on November 13.

They are the Anglican Church at Empire Bay and Phegan's walking track in Phegans Bay.

The walking track may yet be removed from the list, with a motion to do so to be decided at tonight's council meeting.

Notice of the motion was given by Cr Tony Sansom, Cr Debra Wales and Cr Malcolm Brooks.

The extraordinary meeting saw 27 Central Coast properties including 17 Peninsula properties deleted from the heritage list.

Only three were marked to move ahead with heritage listing, out of the total of 37 properties brought before council.

Among those three were the two Peninsula properties: the Anglican Church at Empire Bay and Phegan's walking track.

Those deleted from the heritage list included Rose Cottage at Bensville.

Council deferred consideration of four other properties to a future council meeting. They were 100 Patonga St, Patonga; the Wagstaffe store; the Woy Woy Masonic Hall; and 2 Pearl Beach Dr, Pearl Beach.

The extraordinary review committee meeting also recommended that council not contact owners of deleted properties within the life of the council unless they were sold or changed owners.

It recommended that council meet with the heritage committee to discuss the purpose of the committee, council's policies and the need to support owners of heritage properties.

Properties put to council for heritage listing and consequently deleted were also to be given 25 years before being considered for heritage listing again.

Cr Lynne Bockholt who attended site inspections of listed properties and the extraordinary meeting said that, while she supported heritage, much more investigation needed to go into homes before being recommended to Council for heritage listing.

"We need to look at who can nominate homes for heritage (listing).

"At the moment, it's open slather," she said.

"Anyone can say 'Oh, I like the look of that home' and nominate it."

She said that a lot of homes which council inspected did not warrant heritage listing as they needed maintenance or were visibly altered.

Cr Bockholt said owners were often distressed at having their homes listed.

She said that it was hard argument to make to them that they should be listed because someone used to live there.

"There's a difference between old and heritage," she said.

She was happy, however, with the heritage listing of the Anglican Church at Empire Bay.

"I really do feel the church needs to be on the list.

"The local people want it and it is a delightful little building."

She said that the listing of Phegan's walking track was in doubt as the ownership of the land was under question.

"Inspection of the sites was terrific, a really worthwhile exercise," Cr Bockholt said.

Alison Branley, November 21