Ongoing fight to preserve built heritage

By Editorial
Updated November 5 2012 - 9:49pm, first published December 18 2009 - 3:46am

It's a very fine line when it comes to property owners' rights and historical homes and buildings.Should they face the wrecking ball or should they be saved as a historic statement of Australia's past?The question is a prickly one and one that has continued to cause much angst among heritage experts and those who believe it is their right to demolish in the name of progress or because the buildings are in disrepair or unsafe.It's a scenario that is now being played out in the Illawarra with plans to demolish a home in Warilla's Little Lake Crescent already whipping up a groundswell of opposition. The owners of the distinctive '60s style home on Warilla's popular "millionaires row" want to demolish it and build a more modern structure.The Safari home, which could easily resemble a spaceship, was built in the 1960s and is an example of the popular Beachcomber elevated design.The Mercury agrees with National Trust advocacy manager Graham Quint that the home is of significant historical interest and value.But if, as the owners say, the concrete is cancerous and dangerous then they may have a right to demolish and rebuild.We would urge caution before any decision is made because once it is gone, it is gone forever.

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