The Edeline St home.
Camera IconThe Edeline St home. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Historic home saved – for now

Staff ReporterFremantle Gazette

Cockburn Council voted against approving the demolition of the Edeline Street property last Thursday evening following a recommendation from councillor Lyndsey Wetton the building be retained.

She said the property, constructed in 1912 and owned by former Mayor Angus McLeod, was too valuable to lose.

‘At the end of the day there are many great investor lots in the immediate area that don’t have a 100-year-old heritage property sitting smack bang in the middle of them,’ Cr Wetton said. ‘I understand the difficulty with the property being set back so far on the lot, but I believe a better compromise could be reached with regard to development on the lot that does not result in the almost total demolition of the home.’

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Last Thursday was not the first time the home had been on the council’s agenda, with the home saved last October.

That forced the applicant to call in the State Administrative Tribunal to review the decision.

Following a series of mediation sessions, a compromise backed by a council officer in a report to the city’s elected members looked like being reached.

That compromise would have led to the home being demolished and replaced by 14 two-bedroom dwellings and five one-|bedroom dwellings spread across two levels, with parking on the ground level.

Under that plan only the existing tower of the Category C heritage item would have been retained and integrated into the future build.

The report said investigations into building around the home were found to be unviable and that retention of the tower element represented a negotiated outcome between the applicant and the city.

It is likely the decision will now go before a full SAT hearing.