Boarding house proposal to demolish 120-year-old church for affordable housing
Is heritage more important than affordable housing in the inner west? A housing developer begs the question, after proposing to knock down a 120-year old church for a 55-room boarding house.
Inner West
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- Plan to replace 120-year-old church with a boarding house
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A not-for-profit developer has urged inner west residents to think about those struggling to put a roof over their heads after submitting plans for a new 55-room boarding house in Marrickville.
The founder of Nightingale Housing Jeremy McLeod has spoken out about the plan to knock down a 120-year-old church at 389 Illawarra Rd and replace it with a $9.5 million ‘”new age” affordable housing block.
Mr McLeod said: “It’s a question of heritage versus humanity. Recent history against sustainability. To us, it seem abundantly clear.”
“Do you need another gallery or cafe in an old building?” he asked.
“The question we have to ask ourselves is, what is more valuable? A vacant church without a listing on the building or a sustainable place to house people in a housing crisis?” Mr McLeod said.
The six-storey mixed-use development would provide housing at 25 per cent below market rental, with four short-term rooms for those with special needs.
The development applications states the boarding room will be provided for “people earning very low, low and moderate incomes, such as students and key workers (e.g. people employed in industries such as health care, education, childcare, aged care, emergency services, community services, retail and hospitality).”
Mr McLeod said Church of Christ, rebranded as Fresh Hope, are “putting their land in for free”, allowing Nightingale to put up their first project in the Sydney market.
On their website, Fresh Hope offer help “buying, selling, extending or refurbishing a church property”. They will operate the boarding house.
“For (the church), where can they best achieve their mission in the community. It’s use is not keeping with the 120-year-old space. Rather, house those in the society that need help the most,” Mr McLeod said.
“It makes sense our first (Sydney) project is in the inner west. Marrickville understands sustainability, and the idea of equity and community.”
“Unlike an aged-care facility, babies and elderly all living together … We shouldn’t have segmented housing for rich and poor,” he said.
Nightingale’s project lead Jennifer Kulas said the church site is currently only used once a week for bible study by about four to five people and the church itself is “not habitable”.
“It’s under-utilised by the church and the community … There is no parish that meets in the church,” she said.
In the pre-DA meeting, council said they do not support the demolition of the church due to its heritage value and “aesthetic and social significance”.
“We encourage you to retain the significant elements of the building and incorporate it into the proposed development,” the pre-DA notes stated.
The church was proposed as a heritage item in the Marrickville LEP in 2015.
A decision about whether the church is a heritage item will be handed down with the Inner West LEP scheduled for completion in 2021.
The development application is on exhibition until September 24.
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