THE debate over plans to build an ultra-modern home in a conservation heritage zone on Piper Street split Bathurst Regional Council last week – and it has split our readers as well.
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The Western Advocate ran an online poll asking readers whether they supported or opposed allowing the modern home to go ahead and it returned the tightest result of any poll we’ve run so far.
When Parade checked in on the results on Monday just over 300 votes had been cast and they were virtually split down the middle.
At the time we looked, 50.83 per cent of respondents had voted “No: The modern design will detract from the street's heritage value” while 49.17 per cent had gone with “Yes: Let's see a range of quality designs in our streetscapes”.
That’s an extraordinarily close result over so many votes.
The poll showed that Bathurst people really do care about our streetscapes and also illustrated the difficult decisions councillors are sometimes called on to make.
Through streets of your town
WHILE we’re talking about the interest in our local heritage, here’s something that will appeal to anyone wanting to find out more about our city’s past.
My Block – A Walk And Talk Around A Bathurst Block will be a 90-minute local history tour of Bathurst’s “Block 13”.
For the uninitiated, Block 13 encompasses William, Keppel, George and Piper streets and features some of the city’s oldest homes.
Participants on the walk will hear about the architecture, characters, entrepreneurs and residents from the block.
Bring a hat, bottle of water and wear sensible walking shoes to get the most out of the day.
It’s a free walking tour but bookings are essential.
Participants will meet on the corner of William and Keppel streets out the front of the Cathedral of St Michael and St John at 10am on Sunday.
Book through the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre at 1 Kendall Avenue, phone them on 6332 1444 or go to visitbathurst.com.au.