Heritage Management
The Leichhardt Bus Depot is a historically important site and has had a long association with public transportation. Over the past 100 years it has been in State Government ownership and has played an important part in the delivery of tram, rail and bus services.
Its role as a bus depot commenced in 1958 with 40 buses. Since that time its function has intensified as commuters have sought more frequent, faster and reliable bus services.
The site comprises a number of buildings which are listed heritage items of State Significance being:
- the former Tram Shed Building and associated Leichhardt Bus Depot Offices,
- the Cable Store, and
- former Traffic Offices.
These buildings will be used for administrative and storage purposes by Sydney Buses.
Graham Brooks and Associates prepared a Heritage Impact Assessment and a Conservation Management Plan as part of the development application documentation. The adaptation and restoration of the heritage buildings will be the subject of separate development applications which will detail the full scope of works to be undertaken to these buildings at a later date.
The Depot redevelopment responds to the heritage significance of the site in the following ways:
- The long term future of the site will remain as an important component of public transport infrastructure in the inner west network. This will protect and continue the historically significant aspect of the site that has been in operation since the early decades of the 20th century.
- The three major historic buildings will be protected, retained and reused.
- There will be no new buildings or other visually intrusive structures erected in the open space that connects all of the historic buildings as a group.
- The visibility of the historic buildings from the residential and public open space areas to the immediate west of the site will be unaffected.
Heritage Items in the Vicinity of the Depot
The development application for the Depot must consider the impact of the proposal on other properties in the vicinity that are identified as having heritage significance.
The Leichhardt Bus Depot site is located in the vicinity of No.243 Balmain Road, being Rutherford House, a single storey mid 19th Century Victorian Regency style house on the eastern side of Balmain Road. The Heritage Impact Assessment concludes that the proposal will not affect views of the heritage listed house.
Archaeology
The Leichhardt Bus Depot site is considered to be an archaeological site being the site of the former Annesley House. An archaeological assessment of the former Annesley House site was undertaken by Ford Archaeological Services in July 2000 on behalf of the State Government. In accordance with the findings of this report a Section 140 Permit under the Heritage Act 1977 is currently being sought.
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