There are concerns over the proposed demolition of a nearly 80-year old church at Mayfield, where many people have celebrated their weddings and christenings.
The Catholic Diocese of Maitland Newcastle says Saint Columban's on Church Street is deteriorating, with concrete cancer in its footings.
The church is located near St Columban's Primary School and is listed as a heritage site in the Newcastle Local Environment Plan.
Secretary of the Hunter chapter of the National Trust, Ann Hardy says the diocese shouldn't rush into demolition.
"I think one of the other options is remediation," she says, "we could look at what remediation recommendations have been made and whether they've been costed to see whether the church is salvageable.
"We're concerned because it's quite a drastic measure...it's worth preserving. It was built around the time of World War Two, built with a lot of support from the local parish and it's got a lot of features internally," Ms Hardy explains, "the design is very inter-war Art Deco and unique."
The National Trust will make a presentation at a City of Newcastle meeting tonight at City Hall from 6pm, which the community is invited to attend and share their opinions.
 |
| St Columban's. |
