A report on a development application to demolish an 1890 house at 22 Hurst Street is due to go to a March 2 council meeting. The owners want to replace the structure, known as Banksia, with a two-storey house containing seven bedrooms, six bathrooms and excavate a basement area for four vehicles.

Neighbours in the heritage conservation area have rallied against the plan and lodged 36 submissions on the DA. They say the eight-metre high home will tower over others, impacting the area's "unique" heritage character and creating over-shadowing.

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Goulburn's Hurst Street heritage 'under threat' from proposal

Hurst Street, Goulburn house plan prompts public submission

Hurst Street, Goulburn, proposed house draws public submissions

Others have pointed to the house's history as the first 'cottage' in the street and Arthur and Annie Sach's association. The former headed up the Goulburn Technical College for 30 years while his wife started the city's suffragette movement.

Environment and planning director Scott Martin said the council was awaiting further heritage information on the DA.

"We've had discussions with the applicant, noting he is a third party in the process, and highlighted our concerns around heritage. We think it hasn't necessarily been addressed to the fullest extent," he said.

"We haven't received (this) and we don't have much time before we need to get the ball rolling and bring a report to the council. That will hopefully force it one way or another."

A spokesman confirmed this would go to the March 2 meeting.

However, Andrew Randall of Randall Dutaillis Architects said he'd received all of the public submissions for a response and further council correspondence.

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"The impression we got was that planning staff were not prepared to support the development and that (the owner) should consider options along the lines of preservation," he said.

Mr Randall said he hadn't received any firm direction from the owner at this stage. His firm did not design the proposed two-storey replacement but simply prepared the DA.

The owner, who did not wish to be named, declined to comment and referred enquiries to Mr Randall.

A council spokesman insisted planners were following "due process" regarding requests for additional information and in communication with the applicant.

"As staff though we have a lot of unanswered questions on heritage values," he said.

In recent days, a landscape designer has been onsite.

Mr Martin said if not for the heritage aspects, and possibly overshadowing, the DA would be relatively straightforward.

He told The Post that while some people had questioned why the council simply didn't pursue a heritage order on the home, it already had a level of protection as part of the Conservation Area.

This was unlike Wingello Park, near Marulan, on which the council applied for an an Interim Heritage Order in early 2020 when a DA for alterations was lodged. However, if this had been lodged as a complying development through a private certifier, the result could have been different. In 22 Hurst Street's case, the heritage conservation area prevents applications being lodged as complying development.

"So the heritage conservation area is almost as good as the property itself being (heritage) listed," Mr Martin said.

At the recent council meeting, Mayor Bob Kirk said historical groups had made representations to him on the need for infill guidelines in heritage areas.

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He asked Mr Martin whether these could be developed. The planning director told The Post that the development control plan was the best mechanism.

"They are covered in the DCP but there's always room for improvement," he said.

"One thing we have off the back of the Housing Strategy is some actions moving forward to help us facilitate infill guidelines in heritage areas and free up the constraints recently in place," he said.

"Our hope is to report back to the council in the next few months what that will look like, particularly in the CBD and heritage conservation area.

"(It will mean) we can get some additional density and restoration and encourage sympathetic development in and around the heritage area. We see the DCP as the area where we can do the heavy lifting."

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