Historic manor house Gleniffer Brae may be sold off under a plan being considered by Wollongong City Council.It paves the way for acquisition by the University of Wollongong, which has registered interest in the site.But the university must first meet a raft of conditions while overcoming an extensive public consultation process.The council is seeking expressions of interest for the "possible sale or lease" of the 3.2ha manor and grounds, which have been in council ownership since 1978.
VOTE: Do you approve of council plans for Gleniffer Brae? Manor closes its doors to publicThe manor was hired out for weddings, conferences and events until earlier this month, when a review found the function centre was not cost-effective.Council property and recreation manager Peter Coyte said the expressions process would be used to identify a possible use for the heritage-listed manor, built in 1938 by Port Kembla steelworks founder Sidney Hoskins.Mr Coyte said strict objectives must be met to ensure the heritage, social and cultural values of the property were maintained.This included continued tenancy by the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music, community access to the house and grounds and ongoing integration with Wollongong Botanic Garden."Heritage will also be a key component in any proposal for lease or sale, as the Gleniffer Brae manor house and grounds both have local, state and national heritage listings," Mr Coyte said."It's about maintaining the heritage value, providing public access, not building fences so it is still seamless ..."He said that while UOW had expressed an interest, the council was still keen to determine the best outcome for the community by identifying the full breadth of options and interested parties.The council has not formulated a list of possible uses. Given the list of conditions, the avenues are limited. Mr Coyte said a commercial kitchen could not be installed in the manor without making changes to the building, which must first pass muster with the Heritage Council of NSW.The council will next week approach Neighbourhood Forum 5 for a community member who will join a board as an observer throughout the expressions process.Any change requiring reclassification from community land to operational land (ie sale or long-term lease) would be subject to significant community consultation. The expressions process opens today and ends on June 24.
