Old houses here to stay

The owner of the house at 4 Camberwell Street wants to demolish it and replace it with a two-storey house, a matter that will come before tonight’s council meeting.

A Town officer recommended council refuse the application as it is not consistent with its Town Planning Scheme, which aims to retain structurally sound original homes to maintain existing residential character and streetscapes.

It said the home’s demolition would set an undesirable precedent for the demolition of other character houses on the street where it is one of nine early 20th century single storey timber framed character weatherboards in a row, and one of 20 original weatherboards on both sides of Camberwell Street.

The report says the council does not support ‘demolition by neglect’, which is the neglect of original homes to assist with redevelopment and has consistently refused demolition of structurally sound original dwellings.

A structural survey of the home said it was structurally unsound, with sloping floors, cracked walls, an unstable ceiling, sagging roof and sunken stumps.

But the council officer’s report refuted this, saying it was structurally adequate and its defects were common in buildings of the era and could be repaired.