Council makes heritage intervention to save third Mayfield house

The council on July 23 endorsed a planning proposal to create a new local heritage item at 13 Section Street Mayfield and voted to forward it to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.

The council applied for an interim heritage order for the property after plans were lodged in March 2023 to demolish a two-storey building, Annesley House, and build extra car parking on the land, which houses the Uniting Irwin Hall aged care facility.

Uniting wanted to knock down the building after finding it was no longer financially viable to maintain due to the extent of asbestos.

The interim order protected the building while a heritage assessment took place, which found the property warranted listing as a local heritage item.

The applicant sourced a Heritage Impact Statement from EJE Heritage as part of the DA which concluded the site did not reach the threshold for heritage protection.

But a report to the July 23 council meeting said the site was identified for investigation as a potential heritage item in Volume 4 of the 1997 Newcastle City Wide Heritage Study, by Suters.

The council asked the applicant in December 2023 to consider amending plans to retain the building with a small demolition at the rear.

The applicant responded in January 2024 that they would not amend plans or withdraw the application.

The DA was due to be determined by the council on July 16, 2024, but due to the preliminary heritage assessment findings and "possible immediate threat of harm to the property", the council proceeded with the interim heritage order, which was published in NSW Government Gazette on July 19.

The assessment found Annesley House was associated with prominent local figures Charles Upfold, William Arnott and Isaac Winn and was designed by John W. Pender, a notable architect in the Maitland and Hunter areas. Councillor Carol Duncan said Annesley House was also previously home to Australian opera singer Florence Austral in her later years.

While the building has lost fine detail following renovations, its built form, roof, a chimney, windows and some internal features "remain legible", according to the assessment.

The action follows the council applying for local heritage protection for 14 Sunderland Street and 22 Victoria Street at Mayfield.

Labor councillor Margaret Wood said intervention on the three properties indicated the "significance" of Mayfield as a suburb of heritage.

"There are already six heritage items of local significance that are listed already in the Newcastle local environment plan," she said. "Four of those are in fact related to residential buildings.

"I am pleased to note that this council is now putting resources into undertaking a heritage survey for the City of Newcastle.

"So important at this point in time in our history as we are really contemplating a greater densification in our city necessary to house our growing population and to improve affordability."