Cremorne Parraween St: North Sydney Council intervenes to stop demolition of historic homes

Tenants have been left in “shock” to find out their homes are set to be bulldozed for a major redevelopment, prompting a major intervention from a local council. See the developer’s response.

North Sydney Council has taken action to save a row of heritage homes at Cremorne from the wrecking ball as a prominent developer plans to turn the site into a seniors living complex.

Tenants living in Parraween and Gerard streets are facing an uncertain future after receiving a notice in the mail stating their homes were earmarked for demolition.

The notices came in the form of a ‘complying development certificate’ which allows the homes to be partially or fully bulldozed without going through a formal development application process.

The notices apply to 23 homes in the streets and were lodged by owner Pathways Residences on November 3, giving residents two weeks to provide feedback about the certificates after which time demolition works would be able to proceed within a seven-day time frame.

Pathways Residences confirmed it was planning to build a new seniors living and aged care facility at the site but said “no demolition would take place until 2023 at the earliest”.

Resident Fiona Gracie has raised concerns over the proposed demolition. Photo: Cremorne Conservation Group.

Fiona Gracie, who lives on the street and is a member of the Cremorne Conservation Group, said there had been no consultation between Pathways Residences and residents prior to the certificates being issued.

“The majority of the homes are tenanted to the developer and no one had any warning,” she said.

A photo of one of the cottages. Photo: Cremorne Conservation Group.

“The certificates were hand delivered to people’s homes and it’s caused enormous distress and had a substantial impact on the mental health of residents.

“There is also a very heightened community concern about the loss of these dwellings because of their inherent to the character and streetscape of the Cremorne village.”

Concerns over the loss of the homes have reached North Sydney Council, which last week intervened by applying for an interim heritage protection orders on eight of the impacted homes based on findings of an independent heritage assessment which found the Federation cottages were worthy of heritage protection.

The interim order was gazetted by the state government on Friday and will remain in place for six months to allow for further investigation into the historical significance of the homes.

A historic photo of Parraween St, pictured here in 1915.

A site plan outlining which homes the certificates apply to.

No demolition works will be allowed to proceed while the interim orders remain in place.

The heritage report shows some of the homes date back to the 1880s and were considered to be “rare” examples of the Federation architecture in the suburb.

North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker said the council “had to act to protect the scale, character and the heritage significance” of the homes.

Ms Baker also took aim at the complying development certificate (CDC) process that allows development proposals to be approved by private certifiers if a proposal complies with all predetermined development standards.

“As part of the CDC process the applicant and certifier are under no obligation to make changes and once a CDC is issued, bulldozers can come in within seven days,” she said.

“It allows people to come in and demolish sites without having to deal with the other arguments such as character, heritage and scale.

“The first thing people often know about it is when the bulldozers roll in.”

In a statement, Pathways Residences said it “will work with each tenant on a case-by-case basis” to meet its “obligations under individual tenancy agreements”.

“The project is in the early stages of the planning process, and application for CDCs is just one step in that process. A program of community consultation is about to begin to inform project design.

“As the plans progress there will be opportunities for the community to view project plans, speak with the project team and provide feedback about the proposal.

“Pathways Residences will continue to work with North Sydney Council regarding heritage matters and the best outcome for the site.

“A new seniors living facility in the heart of Cremorne will provide the opportunity for local seniors to stay within their local community with the independence, care and support that meets their individual needs.”