An historic building that was once the gatehouse for the Ballarat Botanical Gardens is hopefully to be returned to its original home, says the current owner.
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Sue Guthrie, whose grandparents bought the cottage on the site it now occupies in Gregory Street in 1928 and whose aunt Ruth Beaton lived in the cottage until she died aged 101 in 2014, says an agreement has been reached with the Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens (FBBG) to support the historic gatehouse’s return to a suitable position within the gardens.
The house has been the topic of much debate since Miss Beaton’s death, with the FBBG lobbying for the return of the building since it was placed on the market.
It is the oldest surviving building related to the botanical gardens, having been constructed in the late 19th Century to house the gatekeeper at either the north or south end of the reserve. It has not been established conclusively which gatehouse the Gregory Street building is at this point.
Elizabeth Gilfinnan is the redevelopment convenor for the FBBG. She says the Friends made three applications for the house to be removed to the gardens over two and a half years. All three were rejected by council. They have now applied to have the issue put before the newly-elected council in the hope of a favourable outcome.
She says while the FBBG are aware of the obstacles that stand in front of them, they have secured the support of not only Ms Guthrie, but of a Melbourne architect willing to help adapt the building for modern use, and a donation from a member of the public to pay for the relocation.
For Sue Guthrie, the potential to save the building from likely demolition is a long-fought-for outcome.
She says the family were about to sell the block with the building on-site, which may have sealed its fate in the hands of a developer hungry only for profit.
“We got to the point where we were going to auction it – out of the blue, before we spoke to them, Elizabeth Gilfillan contacted us saying they did want it and they had been misrepresented by other parties in the process.”
Ms Guthrie said she met with Melbourne architect Richard Teed who saw potential of the building for the FBBG, and reported he had received a positive reaction from the council executive to the relocation.
“He’s offered to work pro bono, and Master Builders Victoria have offered help.”