Petition to save Norman House from demolition submitted to City of Albany

A petition opposing the demolition of Norman House has been presented to Albany council with just under 200 signatures.

The building has been a prominent landmark on Stirling Terrace since its construction in the 1850s but underwent significant alterations in the 1930s and 1960s.

Advance Housing has proposed to demolish the building to make way for a six-unit apartment building as part of its plan to build 25 new dwellings between Stirling Terrace and Frederick Street.

A public comment period for the plan prompted sections of the community, as well as interested parties further afield, to suggest Norman House should be considered for inclusion on the State heritage list.

The 187-signature petition was unanimously received by the council on Tuesday, with Cr Malcolm Traill thanking the petitioners and saying “Norman House is an important structure in the history of Albany”.

Currently, the building is only included on the city’s heritage list and was deemed as not warranting assessment for the State list in 2004.

The petition will be passed on to the Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel, which will ultimately decide whether the $21.7 million project gets the green light due to its size.

No date has been set for the JDAP hearing, but two City of Albany elected members will be part of the five-person panel making the decision.