Despite recognising Sunshine’s Headlie Taylor House’s heritage significance in a report earlier this year, Brimbank council may well approve a planning permit application to demolish the site.
At last week’s council meeting, Brimbank administrators voted to give two Sunshine properties a heritage overlay, pending Planning Minister Matthew Guy’s approval.
As recommended by the council’s 2014 Heritage Gaps Report, Richards’ Dairy and Hampshire House, both in Hampshire Road, will be included within the heritage overlay, pending ministerial approval.
However, despite the Heritage Gaps Report’s recommendation that Headlie Taylor House – in Durham Street, Sunshine – be given the same protection, the council said the pending planning application prevented its inclusion in the Planning Scheme Amendment C167.
Headlie Taylor (1883-1957) designed agricultural machinery. He was best known for the header harvester, three machines needed to harvest flax during World War II, and the ‘Sunshine’ auto header.
Mr Taylor designed the 1938-built house and gardens at 129-131 Durham Street and lived there until his death. The property was sold to the Crown, which set up the Sunshine Boys’ Hostel in 1959 for 15 boys aged 14 to 18 who were described as requiring “more than the usual help and supervision.” In the 1990s it became a drug/alcohol counselling service for women and children, but the house fell into disrepair.
Sunshine Historical Society convener Alan Dash said it should not have been allowed to get into “such a diabolical state”.
“The society would have liked it to be given historical status much earlier.”
Western Health sold the house in May for $935,000, and a planning application to demolish all buildings and construct six double-storey dwellings was lodged in June.
One of the key findings of the Heritage Gaps Report was that the house was of individual significance. “Its links to Headlie Taylor give it a strong connection to the themes of the precinct,” the report states. But it goes on to say “a demolition permit is imminent to demolish this building”.
A council spokeswoman said the permit application had not yet been determined. If it was rejected, “council will reconsider the application of a heritage overlay”.
