News / Planning
‘Beatrice’ owners hope to win neighbours’ backing for rebuild plans
Development would retain front section of historic house
Mark Phillips
THE new owner of the Brunswick property known as ‘Beatrice’ has sought to allay concerns about plans to redevelop the 115-year-old house.
Responding to concerns raised by some neighbours, Hussein Saad – whose family bought the house in Barry Street at auction in April for $1.01 million – said he had no intentions to do anything that would destroy its heritage.
He said retaining the original facade and front section of the house was integral to his plans for a new family home on the property.
When Beatrice was put up for sale earlier this year, a group of neighbours got together and vowed they would oppose any moves to demolish the house. True to their word, they are keeping a close eye on the planning application recently lodged by Saad.
Under the plans submitted to Merri-bek Council, the facade and two front rooms of the dwelling would be retained, while the owners plan to demolish the rear section and build an extension through what is now the back yard to the back fence line.
This has still been enough to ring alarm bells for some neighbours who have made submissions to Merri-bek Council about the redevelopment.
Beatrice was built in 1910 by architect Victor Heiberg, who was responsible for a number of significant houses in Melbourne’s inner north in the first decades of the 20th century.
The weatherboard house is in a street that has a heritage overlay which protects the facade from being demolished.
Advertised at the time of sale as having been owned by the same family since it was built, the house had fallen into significant disrepair during a period when it was lived in by squatters.
Under the advertised plans, two front rooms and part of the side hallway would be retained.
The house’s footprint would then be expanded all the way to the back fence with the addition of two new bedrooms, bathroom, laundry, lounge and dining and living area, with a small rear courtyard and a carport on its southern side.
The rear section would incorporate a contemporary pavilion-style design with a low slung roof and modern brickwork.
According to the advertised plans lodged by Brunswick East architects Vibe Building Design, the new owners plan to spend $450,000 on the redevelopment.
In submissions to Merri-bek Council, some neighbours want to make sure that what they consider to be unique parts of the building are retained.
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Adam Newman, an architect who has done extensive research on Victor Heiberg and lives adjacent to the property, said he wished the new owners “good luck” with the development.
While raising several concerns, including about how the detailed rendering of the name “Beatrice” in the front gable would be retained, Newman said he was generally supportive of the project as long as it was sensitive to the property’s architectural history.
He has also sought clarification about whether the brick chimneys would be retained and the original timber verandah would be fully restored.
“Whilst supportive of restoration and re-use of the site, particularly given the abandonment for over a decade by the previous owners, we hope to see the works as sensitive to the original character and fabric of the building,” Newman has written to the council.
“It would be a significant loss to the heritage value of the neighbourhood if the components of the dwelling required to be retained were restored insensitively, poorly or completely rebuilt in the interest of expedience.
“Good luck to the new owners and we hope you have as much interest in this remarkable and resilient building as the local community.”
Saad said he had been attracted to the house by its story and wanted to renovate it so his family could live in it. He said he wanted to combine old and new features while respecting the building’s heritage.
Saad’s parents lived for many years in Barry Street and older siblings were born there, and returning to the street completed a circle, he said, adding that the house’s history was a compelling reason why he had bought it.
“We’re definitely keeping the facade, we’re going to restore the woodwork … we’re definitely not knocking it down,” he said.
Saad said he would be happy to meet with his future neighbours to discuss their concerns and to assure them of his good intentions.
Lynne Oliver, who lives in nearby Munro street, said the development plans should be approached with “absolute care and caution” and represented an “opportunity lost”.
She added that the rear garden space would be obliterated under the current designs.
Another neighbour in Barry Street, who asked not to be named, said she was relieved that the building would not be demolished to make way for town houses, but she felt the proposal was too large for the block.
“It seems more like an apartment building … rather than the usual house and garden that is typical for an older style building like this one,” she said in an objection lodged with the council.
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