Save the Wayzgoose Building

Save the Wayzgoose Building – the story so far

Blue Mountains City Council plans to demolish one of the oldest building in Leura’s historic town centre and replace it with a new and larger development. The architects engaged for the new development will be visiting the site on Monday 11th July.

The Council owns the historic weatherboard building that has been home to the much-loved Wayzgoose Café for 15 years and once housed the Mountains’ first newspaper. Until June last year, the north side of the building was home to the Circus clothing shop.

For the last eleven years, Wayzgoose owner Mark Alchin has asked Council to inspect what appeared to be a white ant problem. Despite promises, no inspections were undertaken, not even the annual inspections that are normal under commercial leases.

After Council finally inspected the building last year, the Wayzgoose café was given notice to quit in October 2015. The new tenants for the other side of the building were not allowed to move in.

Council said the building has a fungal rot, in sections of the frame, so is structurally unsound and too expensive to repair. Council obtained four specialist reports, only one of which has been provided to the business owners to date. The repair quote is widely derided by experts as ridiculously high.

Following private and public outcry, the notice to quit was withdrawn. A subsequent mediation between the Council and the Wayzgoose owner has not resulted in the promised transparency and consultation. Council continues to ignore requests for meetings to consider options, and to provide reports and access to the empty side of the building for an independent assessment of the structural damage.

In December 2015, Council voted to demolish the building for redevelopment of the site. The Wayzgoose cafe would be evicted without compensation. Council’s discussion of the building’s state and development plans was closed to the public, including the tenant.

The Council’s own Heritage Advisory Committee was not consulted on the decision nor has it been provided with any information.

The National Trust are in the process of considering the building for heritage listing. Notification has also been sent to the NSW Government’s Office of Environment and Heritage.

This same Council led by Mayor Mark Greenhill boasts that its recent State government-approved Local Environment Plan will "protect the beautiful heritage buildings of our character villages".