MLC North Sydney: New twist in campaign to grant 1950s office block heritage protection

Some have called it a “nothing building” while others say it’s one of the most “distinguished” structures in Sydney and now a campaign to save the MLC office has reached the state’s heritage council.

A petition to save the MLC building in North Sydney has surpassed 1600 signatures.

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Impassioned debate over whether a 1950s office block in North Sydney should be granted a heritage listing has taken a new turn as a petition to save the building from demolition tops 1600 signatures.

A meeting of the state’s Heritage Council resolved to take the next step in placing an interim heritage order on the 63-year-old MLC Building on Miller St – three months after a $509 million planning proposal was lodged to knock down the tower to make way for a 27 storey skyscraper.

The council, which met last week to consider the proposal, voted to write to developer IOF Custodian informing them of the decision as well as its intention to open public feedback on the listing from early October.

A concept plan of the MLC redevelopment

The meeting comes as a petition in favour of “saving (the site) for future generations” reached 1666 submissions as of Friday with one supporter describing the building as a “hugely significant” example of modernist Australian heritage.

North Sydney Council has also been flooded with submissions opposing redevelopment of the site including resident Michael Jones who said he was “proud to be home” whenever he passes the office block, adding “it is without any doubt the most distinguished post-war building in North Sydney and one of the finest in Australia.”

Other residents have also told the council they would be willing to “give evidence” in the Land and Environment Court in a bid to save the MLC in the scenario the proposed development becomes subject to a legal appeal.

The MLC building has been part of the local skyline since the 1950s.

“I have been a resident in the North Sydney local government area for more than 35 years and this building is simply part of the landscape,” resident Mary Curry said in her submission.

“While it may not conform to current tastes, consider what Paris, Edinburgh, or other acknowledged beautiful cities would look like had their governments allowed all buildings to be demolished over time,” resident Katherine Kemp added.

But some have questioned the architectural merits of the 14 storey structure including Mayor Jilly Gibson who told a council meeting in July she had carried out a straw poll of residents and “didn’t run into one person who said ‘I love the building, we must fight to preserve it’.”

A concept plan of the redevelopment.

“Some actually said it’s a ‘nothing building’ and wanted to get rid of it,” she told the meeting.

Developer group IOF Custodian said redevelopment of the site was warranted after a site survey found the MLC required $118 million in restoration works to bring up to modern standards.

The proposal has meanwhile attracted multiple submissions from architects across Australia including UNSW School of Architecture Design and Planning Professor Cameron Logan who described it as “the best piece of architecture in the North Sydney CBD.”

A heritage study lodged as part of redevelopment plan shows the MLC was the first office building of its size to be built in North Sydney and heralded a “new era of decentralisation away from the Sydney CBD.”

Its local heritage listing also states “the MLC is a seminal building” and “used construction and structural techniques not previously used in Australia.”

The development proposal for the site remains before North Sydney Council and is currently open for public feedback.

Submissions on the heritage listing will open for 28 days from October 8.