Victor Harbor mansion to be surrounded by new homes in Mount Breckan Estate housing development
A State Heritage-listed mansion that towers over Victor Harbor will be surrounded by 40 homes under plans for a new development, sparking a slew of angry comments online.
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A landmark 19th-Century mansion in Victor Harbor will be surrounded by new houses under plans for a 40-home development that have sparked debate about protecting views of the historic pile.
Mount Breckan Estate will feature 40 allotments, making way for new single-storey homes and two-storey townhouses.
Developer Robert Moore said civil works would begin mid-February, with construction of houses likely to begin towards the end of the year and the first residents moving in towards the end of 2023.
Four of the allotments have sold since sales opened about four months ago – three of those to interstate buyers, he said.
The Renown Avenue development does not include the state heritage-listed “Mount Breckan” residence, in the middle of the site, which has a separate interstate-based owner.
“The property is virtually in the middle of Victor Harbor with wonderful views over the whole of the bay down toward Port Elliot and including The Bluff (Rosetta Head),” Mr Moore said.
But it the potential obscuring of views of the property, rather than from it, that has some worried.
The Haunts of Adelaide Facebook Group, which celebrates “history, mystery and the paranormal” in SA, last week posted imagesof the mansion, saying it would soon be “hidden behind a wall of houses”.
That sparked a debate among followers about their memories of the property and concern about views of the stately propertybeing diminished.
Posts included “Bloody criminal that is!!! Such a gorgeous building, way too beautiful to be hidden” and “This is just appalling!It is one of the appealing aspects of Victor Harbor, being able to see this majestic building up on the hill.”
However, Mr Moore said the development would do “nothing to harm” the mansion’s heritage value.
“What we’re doing is tastefully in synergy with the house,” he said. The mansion sits on 8000sq m of land, with the nearestnew house to sit about 60m away.
According to the estate’s website, Alexander Hay had the mansion built in 1881 for his wife Agnes, who, while holidaying in Port Victor, said, “I should like a house on that mount”.
It cost £25,000 to build, was ruined in a fire in 1909, and in 1912 the ruin was purchased by a new owner who rebuilt it and turned it into a guesthouse.
During World War II the Royal Australian Air Force used it to train pilots, navigators and flight engineers. It was later used as a civilian rehabilitation centre, then purchased by the Adelaide Bible Institute and is now a private residence.
The development’s website says it will feature an “interesting ornamental lake system”, providing a “quiet, peaceful space to be enjoyed by the owners”, also functioning as a flood retention system.
“The lakes, waterfalls and riverlets will be fed by stormwater and recycled to ensure that this system functions and is a feature throughout the year,” it says.
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