scone.com.auBurning Issue with City Architects
WHEN people living in Murrurundi’s heritage precinct want to make any change to their building, even a coat of paint they need to get heritage approval, but when you are the state government you can ignore all of the rules your neighbours have to abide by.
Kylie-Anne Craig lives next door to the fire station in a small heritage cottage she has worked hard to buy and she feels steamrolled by her unneighbourly new neighbours Public Works NSW.
The small cottage set to get a big neighbour.
“I want to make it absolutely clear I want the new fire station, I don’t oppose the development from happening,” said Ms Craig.
“The first set of plans I received in February were quite good they were set across the two blocks, the building was set back from the front of the block with landscaping to soften the big shed from the streetscape and a circular driveway for the fire trucks, it made sense,” she said.
“But in November they sent me a second set of plans and they are radically different,” she said.
The new $900,000 fire station will be a 5.9 metre high building set along almost the entire length of Ms Craig’s boundary causing significant shadow over her block.
It positions the shed prominently at the front of the block and requires the fire trucks to reverse in a high traffic area causing residents safety concerns.
“They said the plans were amended but they are entirely different,” said Ms Craig.
“I have to adhere to the heritage rules and I’ve done so, but State can just go ‘plonk’ and put a massively ugly building wherever they want,” she said.
“I contacted Council about my concerns but because it is Public Works NSW that I am dealing with I’ve just hit a brick wall,” Kylie-Anne Craig said.
The site where the new fire station will be built.
Peter Carlin, the co-owner of Haydon Hall in Murrurundi said they were proud of the heritage area in their town and was annoyed city based architects have shown no sympathy to the streetscape.
“I’m not opposed to the new building, it will be great for the town to have a bigger station with new facilities and there are multiple things they could do and I am in favour of the first plan, but the position of the building in the second plan is not in keeping,” said Mr Carlin.
“In Tasmania with their development of fire stations they looked at them having a dual purpose where there is the living quarters where the firemen live, work and sleep and the other part is a community section where the fire engines are and the architects designed it so it became part of the town, part of the community, but a shed like they are talking about with big roller doors does not lend itself to community involvement, it’s literally putting up a barrier to the community and ruining the streetscape,” he said.
The White Hart Hotel in Murrurundi, also a neighbour to the new Public Works design.
Disappointed with the brick wall she encountered with Council staff Kylie Anne Craig went to Cr Joshua Brown, who is also a resident of Murrurundi to ask for assistance.
“While Council is not the approval authority, I think we can open dialogue with Public Works and find some common ground,” said Cr Brown.
“The new fire station is a fantastic addition to the town, the residents are supportive of the new building and I think we all want something everyone can be proud of well into the future,” he said.