COUNCILLORS appear confident the old Bathurst Ambulance Station won't become a wasted space in the central business district.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Parallels have been drawn between it and the old TAFE site, as both were handed over to Bathurst council by the NSW Government.
Council recently launched expressions of interest for the redevelopment of the old TAFE site, eight years after it accepted the offer to take ownership, but things appear to be moving a little faster for the old ambulance station.
A conservation management plan (CMP) has been prepared for the William Street site and was part of a report at Wednesday night's council meeting.
The consultants engaged to develop the CMP made nine key recommendations for the site.
They include to consider having the building listed on the State Heritage Register as an item of state significance, and to implement a schedule of works and a regular maintenance schedule.
"Works include urgent roof repair works required to ensure weather-tightness and structural integrity of the roof structure. Associated roof works include replacement of rainwater goods, flashings, valleys, ridge and hip capping, eaves and soffit linings, and reconstruction of roof and verandah elements including the repair or replacement of the Malthoid finish to the trafficable deck areas at first floor level," the CMP states.
Councillors praised the CMP on Wednesday, expressing hope that its quick development would see the building put to use sooner.
"It hasn't taken as long as the TAFE building. We still haven't seen anything there yet," Cr Bobby Bourke said.
"... Look, prime real estate in the middle of our CBD. We need to do something, not quickly, but this report shows that we are going to move a lot quicker than what we did on the TAFE building. It won't be as long I hope."
Cr Jess Jennings added, "It's a very special building and hopefully it can be made quite a treasure, given its location."
Although council does have a CMP for the old ambulance station, the report to Wednesday's meeting noted that no funding has been budgeted for.
Funding will need to be identified for the ongoing maintenance and immediate repairs to the buildings in future budgets.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News