The church considers the case a litmus test for potentially dozens of abandoned buildings around Sydney which could be redeveloped to offer more housing options for low-income workers and people in need, given the city's housing affordability crisis.
The proposal for a permanent heritage listing concluded its public exhibition last week, ahead of a report by council staff and a vote by councillors. Meanwhile, the church is challenging the council's refusal of its DA in the Land and Environment Court. "It's not every day that a church stands up and does the right thing by proposing affordable housing on land that it owns ... we can't afford to throw those opportunities away."
Cr Hesse said the church's proposal would make an "extraordinarily limited" difference to housing affordability, which was really the state government's responsibility. "Trying to resolve a complex problem through one DA is nuts," he said.
michaelkoziol You can do both. The exterior facade could stay but the internal structure could be modified to make small units.