The state heritage office has thrown a spanner in the works for Wollongong City Council’s plans to open up part of Gleniffer Brae manor house as a function centre.
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The NSW Heritage Council has said it did not support Wollongong council’s proposal “at this stage”, and has asked for a conservation plan for the site to be officially endorsed before the function centre can proceed.
For nearly five years, the council has been faced with the puzzle of what to do with the historic building, after councillors rejected a controversial University of Wollongong plan for a creative arts precinct in 2013.
The decision left a portion of the house, originally built as a residence by the founder of Port Kembla Steelworks and now partially leased by Wollongong’s Conservatorium of Music, unused.
In 2015, after a protracted "call for proposals" process, staff said a plan for a "premium restaurant and function centre" would provide the best financial returns, and result in more visitors and better community access.
A rezoning plan to allow this function centre was reviewed by NSW Planning and opened up for comment in 2016, to gauge residents’ and government agency views about the prospect of having people wine and dine within the manor house grounds.
New council documents reveal that the Heritage Council then wrote to Wollongong council to say “the planning proposal to permit the inclusion of a function centre… at Gleniffer Brae is not supported at this stage”.
Instead, it said Wollongong council would need to submit a Conservation Management Plan to be officially endorsed by the state body, to “ensure that appropriate policies about the future of Gleniffer Brae are in place so that the heritage significance of the site will continue for future generations”.
At Monday night’s meeting, council staff have recommended councillors “note” all submissions made,and forward the conservation management plan to the NSW Heritage Council.
Only once the outcome of this assessment is known will the council be able to consider the function centre rezoning plan, which will have to once again be presented to councillors. So far, the preparation of the Conservation Management Plan has cost the council $30,000. Council staff have estimated the next stage will cost between $2,000 to $4,000, however, there may be extra costs if more information or technical studies are needed.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
