Daughters of the original builder of the Prior Pavilion at the Bathurst Showground have expressed their opposition to the building's planned demolition.
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A section 60 application has been submitted to Heritage NSW to demolish the pavilion.
It was originally built in 1952 before being moved to its current location in 1997 and up, until this year, it has been used to house cattle during the Royal Bathurst Show.
However, the Prior Pavilion has been closed since May last year and if the application is success, it will be demolished to be replaced by a near identical building utilising a steel structure and cement floor, according to Bathurst Showground land manager Andrew Fletcher.
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Sisters Wendy Brown and Bev Kerr, daughters of the pavilion's builder Ern Prior, submitted their opposition to the application, questioning the high cost of restoration in the consultant's report.
The sisters are requesting that two additional quotes be independently obtained as they do not believe it would cost $432,000 to restore the pavilion, as estimated in the consultant's report.
"It is apparent that the land manager wants to place a new Colorbond shed on this site to extend the facilities for caravans and RVs, as there can be no other reason for its removal," Ms Brown said.
The sisters are also concerned that the application does not mention the heritage character of the pavilion and whether the Prior name will be retained.
They are also disappointed that the family wasn't consulted about plans to raze the pavilion.
Mr Fletcher, who made the section 60 application last December, said that the Prior Pavilion had been assessed by an engineer last year and was found to be unsafe. It was subsequently closed in May last year and has remained closed.
"I'm faced with two options; I either keep it closed because I don't have the funds to carry out the repairs or the other alternative is to replace it," Mr Fletcher said.
"With the Prior, the concept is to retain the building or as much as the building as we can.
"The long term solution is build a purpose-built building. The exact same size, the exact same shape, same name.
"For less than half the cost we can put in a new shed that is identical to the one that is there but is now all-weather proof."
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