A house built by prominent Bowral builder Alf Stephens in 1949 could be demolished with next to no notice, and surrounding residents are furious.
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The house located at 4 Myrtle Street, Bowral has been earmarked for demolition by Sydney based group Urban City Certifying for a row of terrace housing.
The property was last sold in March 2021.
A letter dated November 4 sent by Urban City Certifying to surrounding residents said the proposed demolition "may be potentially classified as a complying development, which means it meets all the standards provided by the State Environment Planning Policies (SEPP) and it will be approved no later than 14 days in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act."
Neighbour Chrissy Toll said the house was a beautiful example of Bowral post-war homes built by Alf Stephens.
"Alf Stephens homes are synonymous with character and charm of much of Old Bowral," she said.
"We are deeply concerned about the demolition of this and other beautiful, historical homes in the area.
"When we bought the house it was like a time capsule, it was in the original condition."
According to Ms Toll, recent changes to the SEPP meant that under certain conditions, developers could demolish old homes and build terraces, flats and townhouses without needing to go through the normal council approval process.
"As residents, it's also very difficult to object to the developments. There's been no community consultation," she said.
"They now only need to give residents 14 days notice before demolishing an existing property. As the properties in question hold R3 Zoning - no DA is needed unless they are protected under Heritage Conservation.
"Importantly, the changes to the code means that more development of this kind can go unchecked throughout the region."
Residents have now started a petition on change.org asking Wingecarribee Shire council to place an interim heritage order on several houses along Myrtle Street.
Ms Toll has also taken it upon herself to notify residents in nearby streets to help protect the property.
"I did a letterbox drop with neighbours nearby, I've written a letter that people can send to the council to say they object," she said.
"It's not just Myrtle Street, it's any house outside of the heritage-protected area.
"We would like to implore the Wingecarribee Council to make an urgent interim heritage order to these houses, with a view that they could potentially be safeguarded by heritage listing within the Wingecarribee Local Environmental Plan 2010."
"Community action will help the council demonstrate that these buildings are of historical significance to this region and should not be allowed to be demolished with only the tick of a private certifier acting for the developers."
Ms Toll said there were better potential sites for terrace style housing that didn't require the demolition of Alf Stephen houses.
"There are plenty of vacant lots around," she said.
"There are other opportunities for development in the area without the need to destroy something important."
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