By Alesha Capone
The Werribee District Historical Society has criticised a proposal to build a childcare centre in front of a heritage-listed building.
The former shire hall in Werribee, which dates back to 1867, served as Wyndham council’s first office before being sold to the Masonic Lodge.
The building is located near the corner of Watton Street and Greaves Street South.
Wyndham council has received a planning permit application for a two-storey childcare centre on open space at the front of the hall.
The council has received 19 objections to the childcare centre plan. Public consultation ended on May 31.
Historical society secretary Lance Pritchard said it was important to conserve the historic site, which features in two heritage walking brochures produced by the council and the society.
Mr Pritchard said the proposed childcare centre, once built, would conceal the front of the old shire hall.
“The front of the building will be completely obscured from Greaves Street,” he said.
“The north entrance to the community hall will be almost impossible to see from Watton Street.
This also means that future tourist walks and coach tours will not be able to even vaguely appreciate the significance of the building or how the site functioned.”
Mr Pritchard said the proposal could also remove “two important historic trees”, one of which was not even mentioned in the application.
Wyndham city operations director Stephen Thorpe said the childcare centre’s planning permit application would be considered at a future council meeting.
He said the council would also hold a town planning forum on July 11 to provide objectors with a further opportunity to raise their concerns.
“As this matter is yet to be presented at an ordinary council meeting, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details of the application,” Mr Thorpe said.
“We are also still waiting on a heritage adviser to undertake a full assessment of the proposal and an arborist to inspect two trees on site.”
Star Weekly contacted ARG Planning Pty Ltd, which submitted the planning permit to the council, but did not receive a response.
