“Forest Manor” 502 Forest Road Bexley and 198 Queen Victoria Street Bexley The Loss of a Significant Building In Bexley’s History ,
The Child Care Centre proposed for 502 Forest Road and 198 Queen Victoria St looks wonderful .However, there are 2 MAJOR problems with this proposal .
This property is good example of a Federation home on the Ocean View Estate, Bexley and its demolition will reduce our heritage stock , and the proposed Child Care Centre is in an inappropriate location .
The top of Queen Victoria Street , Bexley is both a busy intersection and has been the scene of many accidents over the .years .
It is of interest to note that directly opposite this site is the old Bexley Fire station .This was restored and added to with villa development on the site during the mid -1990’s .
If the property at 502 Forest Road , Bexley s regarded as being in poor condition ,then it would be best left to someone to restore the building to its original condition and use it as a home.
It is far too easy to suggest an archival record of the property .Do we really want to look in the future at our heritage through photos?
Rockdale Council ‘s Kass and Walker Heritage Study was sabotaged by a number of Councillors and vocal residents in 1994. Councillor Ron Rathbone then suggested that we consider 30 or so properties in various time periods eg Victorian properties . It has been a long time between reviews of heritage in Rockdale Council and then Bayside Council.
Heritage has long taken a back seat at Rockdale Council and now Bayside Council .I witnessed this first hand in my time as a Third Ward Councillor 1991-1999 at Rockdale before going to Kogarah Council 1999-2008 to represent North Ward. I have maintained an interest in heritage matters in Rockdale and now Bayside Council .
We as a community are poorer for this attitude and lack of appreciation of our past . These properties have good bones and have lasted the test of time –those that replace them won’t. And most likely they have no character and don’t fit in well with the streetscape.
As someone who has travelled widely overseas and within Australia, i have admired buildings of the past , some which have been adapted to other uses. I have admired buildings in Scotland , England ,France, Finland and many other countries . I have lunched in Winkel van Sinkel which has so much history . Built in 1824, became a department store between 1837 and 1839 in Utrecht ,Netherlands and had a number of uses since then ; lunched in a café built in the 1500s in Delft in the Netherlands and my list could go on .
Anne Field
