For those of us fortunate to live in or around Thirroul there is an appreciation of how wonderful the village is.
There are a number of magnificent old buildings that remain, for example the buildings on Thirroul Railway Station and the neighbouring TRIPS (Thirroul Railway Institute Preservation Society) Hall.
It is important to recognise that community action has helped retain these significant buildings. Driving north towards the railway overpass in Thirroul, visitors and locals are greeted by a high dry sandstone wall.
The sandstone wall was built as part of the road realignment in the 1940s. Notification of this wall at the time states: “The Main Roads Board proposes to erect a wall for about eight feet ...at a cost of £30.
It was recommended this be carried out.” This sandstone wall once bordered the houses all the way from 336 to 348 Lawrence Hargrave Drive (LHD); ending at what is now the Thirroul Community Centre and Library.
In recent years the height of the sandstone wall at 346-348 LHD was reduced as part of the development on that site.
A Development Application (DA) was recently before Council for construction of 3 townhouses on 342-344 LHD, the site locally known as ‘The Gables’.
Local residents did not want to see any further reduction in height or appearance in what remained of the historical sandstone wall and sent written submissions to Council to this effect.
Presentations were also made before the independent Wollongong Local Planning Panel (WLPP) about the importance of the wall.
As a result of this, a condition was added to the DA for 342-344 LHD that “the existing front dry sandstone wall shall be retained in its original height and form except where the new pedestrian and driveway openings are located”.
This is definitely a win for the local neighbourhood. Although The Gables building could not be saved at least the historic wall could. By acknowledging the sandstone wall not only has a piece of local history been retained, but so too the streetscape. It also shows that community action can make a difference.
