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Editorial

Heritage must be balanced with amenity. And amenities

Heritage is so often in this city, and others, inconsistently applied.

Historic or otherwise significant sites in certain suburbs (usually with certain property values) are protected at all costs by their communities, while developers progressively raze and rebuild other neighbourhoods as taller, greyer and tighter every three decades.

The Herald has repeatedly drawn attention to the need to interrogate heritage protections as Sydney deals with a housing crisis.

Last year, Inner West Council revealed that 43 per cent of its municipality was under some form of heritage protection, including all of Haberfield and much of Balmain. The city’s heritage conservation areas are concentrated in the inner west, north and east, where they make development difficult and expensive. Many western Sydney councils have few or none.

But heritage is a balancing act. Sydney must be protected for future generations while also being adapted to serve their needs.

And so we come to a Mosman toilet block with no women’s changeroom.

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As Megan Gorrey reports today, plans to build new sports facilities at Middle Head, on the lower north shore, are facing resistance from heritage advocates, who argue that the upgrades will open the door to more intensive development of the public parkland.

The plan in question comes from Mosman Council. The council wants to demolish an ageing toilet block next to Middle Head Oval and replace it with a new building and an “open-sided shelter” featuring concrete bench seating and a canopy.

The fate of the council’s $5 million proposal will be decided by Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, a federal government agency that oversees former Defence sites around the foreshore.

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It is not the first time proposed developments at Middle Head have raised concern.

In 2013, the Headland Preservation Group successfully fought plans for an aged care facility.

Then there was the incident in 2014 when this masthead revealed the trust was advertising several sites on Middle and North Head for long lease and development through a state department office in Shanghai, which boasted of “unique development opportunities” for “the creative investor” with Sydney Harbour outlooks and lush parkland surroundings that could host businesses such as a boutique hotel.

An uproar among those who insisted the trust’s primary responsibilities were enhancing the amenity of the former Defence land it has custodianship of, focusing on conserving environmental and heritage values, ensued – and no such sales occurred.

On the current proposal, the preservation group has levelled that the area – a grass oval host to weekends of junior soccer and Australian rules football games – again risks being urbanised.

The group says the community was not adequately consulted on the council’s proposal and that it should be referred to Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

This is unlikely to be the last we hear of Middle Head’s toilet block proposal. But Sydney must balance heritage with amenity. And, indeed, amenities.

Bevan Shields sends an exclusive newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/heritage-must-be-balanced-with-amenity-and-amenities-20241101-p5kn7m.html