COUNCILLORS should block the demolition of a 118-year-old building in a prominent stretch of Eaglehawk to protect the area's heritage feel, City of Greater Bendigo council officers say.
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They want to protect a building which is one of a number of older style homes along Napier Street.
Councillors will weigh in on Monday after talks with Eaglehawk Medical Group hit an impasse over the scale of demolitions needed to make room for a new practice.
The long-established Eaglehawk practice wants to replace the old house with new building complete with six consulting rooms, a nursing station and other office space.
The council's heritage advisor says there is "no justification" for demolishing a house with heritage significance for the wider neighbourhood.
"It is in disrepair but is able to be rehabilitated as part of normal maintenance activities," they said.
"The existing building has high integrity, retaining original ad [sic] early elements that are representative of the miner's cottage typology."
Medical centre plans would not comply with heritage guidelines for the area, the advisor said.
Council staff said they had shared those concerns with the people behind the planning permit push, "who confirmed that they did not wish to address the City's Heritage Advisor's concerns".
They instead asked for their application to go to councillors for a decision, city staff had been told.
Doctor finds council staff arguments unconvincing
Eaglehawk Medical Group doctor Tali Barrett said the street has a mix of building styles from multiple eras.
"There's a house of every era in that street and it is in a commercial zone," she said.
The impasse came despite no members of the public objecting to the medical centre plans.
Council staff said they had floated an idea for a "partial demolition" in March 2022.
That would have saved the front portion of the building, including two original chimneys.
They had also discussed ways to restore the original wooden weatherboards that remained under cladding, the replacement of a verandah thought to have been a later addition to the building and removal of some concrete steps.
The medical group sent in updated plans after that meeting but still wanted to demolish the whole building, council staff said.
Dr Barrett said keeping the facade would impact its need for a building of a certain size and width.
"You couldn't use it properly. It's falling apart, you can see daylight cracks and it's really gone inside," she said.
"I love old buildings but you couldn't build a nice new practice on that site, of the size we want [if the facade was kept]."
Regardless of that particular disagreement, council staff have concerns about the building proposed to rise at the site.
They say it would be out of place in the surrounding streetscape.
It would not be set back as far as a row of neighbouring homes to its left, council staff said. They had similar concerns about the building's roof and building materials.
The building next door is Flack Advisory's offices, which is two storeys high and sits much closer to the street.
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
