Huskisson Anglican Church site: Homes, hotel and night market planned near graves
Would you want to sleep in a swanky hotel near dozens of graves at an old church? That is the plan for a controversial development at a former church.
The South Coast News
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The former Huskisson Anglican Church site would be transformed into a massive residential apartment building, hotel and retail facility — including an outdoor night market — under controversial plans before the NSW Planning Department.
A planning proposal was submitted to Shoalhaven Council for the former Huskisson Anglican Church in October, with the council forwarding the proposal to the NSW Government for determination last month.
A planner for the proposal said the massive 6070sq m site, near the Jervis Bay Marine Park, is currently zoned for a church.
“The Anglican Church has since sold the site to raise funds to move its activities to another site in the Jervis Bay area where new and improved church facilities will be constructed,” the planner said. “Accordingly, the historic activity on the site has ceased.”
The proposal would see the site used for a mixed-use development including a residential apartment building, serviced tourist apartments, a hotel, as well as a dining area just a few hundred metres from dozens of graves that surround the old church site.
A Shoalhaven Council spokesman said the council supported the proposed rezoning and “the proponent’s proposed increase in the height controls” to as high as 16m for the site — despite community outcry around the protection of graves and trees.
A passionate community campaign, Save Husky Church, has been protesting on a weekly basis to prevent the redevelopment of the space.
“The site ceased to be used as a place of public worship several years ago and as such the current zoning is no longer appropriate,” the council planner said.
“A development application to demolish the church hall and a shed, and relocate the church
building was approved by council in June 2019.”
The South Coast News understands the area where graves are located on the site will not be developed, with Shoalhaven Council conducting a new study to determine locations of plots.
The council received more than 136 submissions from the wider community raising questions around the local character, heritage, building heights and the economic benefit and job creations.
The Planning Department will determine the proposal.