Kembla Jottings

Welcome to KJ. Join us in celebrating Mt Kembla's past & sharing local knowledge as custodians of our cultural heritage for those that will come after us.

Kembla Jottings is a page specifically dedicated to promote the preservation of Mt Kembla and Kembla Heights local heritage, including all remaining built heritage, historic streetscapes and natural heritage. We encourage all members of the community to be vigilant and speak up to protect our precious local heritage and preserve its unique character.

Kembla Jottings primary agenda is to protect our local heritage from inappropriate development, firstly through educating our community on its rich heritage, and secondly through advocating for our remaining cultural heritage through posts and community activism when it is threatened.

We support and encourage Wollongong City Council in upholding their development controls for the Kembla Heights Heritage Conservation Area. Kembla Heights Heritage Conservation Area deserves our utmost respect as the site of the Mt Kembla 1902 mine disaster, the last resting place of many of the 96 victims of the disaster, a humble working class mining community and treasured place - the last of its kind within the Illawarra.

Note to developers - There are plenty of other places to build modern developments in the Illawarra, so please respect this one remaining untouched corner.

Please read carefully Wollongong Development Control Plan 2009.

20. 4. 3 DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS FOR KEMBLA HEIGHTS INCLUDING WINDY GULLY

A. Built form (existing streetscape)
i. Single storey development only in original streets.
ii. Build only on previous house sites in existing streetscape.
iii. Discourage decorative balustrading and lace work on verandas except where previous evidence
of this can be demonstrated.
iv. Reinstate original features where appropriate.
v. Retain symmetry and proportion of existing cottages.

B. Built form (extended future streetscape)
i. Single storey buffer required between original streetscape and two storey development.
ii. Development generally should be sympathetic and respect the form and character of the
conservation area. It should not mimic historic building stock.
iii. No primarily brick development.
iv. New development should not obstruct views between Kembla Heights and the coast.

C. Setback (existing streetscape)
i. Maintain varied setbacks and the sense of informality.
ii. Avoid large tracts of similarly setback buildings to be in existing streetscape. Small groups with
similar setbacks acceptable.

D. Fences
i. No solid walls (especially brick walls).
ii. No colourbond or new sheet metal fencing.
iii. Encourage paling, mesh /wire or timber post and rail fencing materials.
iv. Maintain low front fence heights (max. 1. 2 metre height).
v. Rear and side fence heights should be minimised where possible.

E. Driveways
i. No solid concrete driveways. Gravel, asphalt, strip driveways, sleepers or other sympathetic
forms acceptable.

F. Views
i. Clearance of poor quality undergrowth acceptable on a merits basis where appropriate and
desirable.
ii. Controlled opening up of views east (to the Coast) through the appropriate removal of new
growth bush land acceptable where appropriate.

G. Infill
i. Avoid new complete veranda infill to create new rooms.
ii. Partial sympathetic solid infill acceptable on merit where extension elsewhere cannot be
achieved.
iii. Encourage reversal or improvement of intrusive veranda infill.
iv. Veranda infill acceptable where mesh, shade cloth or other appropriate materials are used to
create an outdoor style room.
v. Any new dwelling proposed on previous house sites in the existing streetscape must apply
similar form, scale, materials and detailing as the existing historic building stock in a sympathetic
manner but be readily identifiable as new work.

H. Extensions
i. Allow skillion roofed, single storey extensions to rear.
ii. Where rear extension is not possible, consider skillion or flat roofed extensions to the side with
the new area set back from the original façade.
iii. No upper storey extensions.
iv. Gabled extensions only to be considered on a merits basis on Edwardian / Federation styled
housing.

I. STREET FURNITURE
i. Limit street furniture to discreet items suitable to rural setting in necessary locations.

J. SIGNAGE
i. Retain and maintain existing style of street signage.
ii. No new illuminated, neon style signage.

K. FOOTPATHS AND ROAD SURFACES
i. Limit footpaths in existing areas, no footpaths at all preferred.
ii. Roads should be kept informal, without kerb and guttering.
iii. Paths from gates to individual houses acceptable in concrete but no wider than existing
traditional steps and entry way.

L. GARDENS AND SHEDS
i. Garages to be detached and set back behind dwellings. Open car port structure preferred.
ii. Brick and colour bond unacceptable except where not visible from surrounding areas.
iii. Single storey only.

M. ALLOTMENT SIZE AND SUBDIVISON
i. Follow existing underlying pattern once determined.
ii. No subdivision of existing house sites.

N. MATERIALS
i. No new brick and tile development within the existing streetscape.
ii. No new metal framed windows in existing buildings.
iii. No use of raw materials as main cladding e. g. oiled timbers or vinyl cladding in existing streetscape.
iv. Encourage use of painted timber cladding, galvanised /corrugated and iron roofing.
v. Encourage replacement of metal windows and reinstatement of traditional timber windows.
vi. Limit use of new fibre cement sheeting.

O. COLOUR
i. No painting or treatments in colours that dominate the landscape e. g. bright or dark tones beyond existing colour range.

P. NEW DEVELOPMENT
i. New development in an extended streetscape should be sympathetic and be consistent with any overall Master Plan developed. New development should reflect the existing free standing informal village atmosphere of Kembla Heights Heritage Conservation Area.
ii. No medium or high density development should take place in the Conservation Area.
iii. Two storeys may be considered in areas where single storey development acts as a buffer between original and existing development. Any two storey dwelling must be sympathetic with
surrounding original cottages and respect the form and character of the conservation area.
However, any new dwelling should not mimic historic building stock.
iv. New development should follow existing streetscape principles of variable setback, low key landscape and spacious yards.

Q. STREET PLANTINGS
i. Retain existing plantings. Replace where removal becomes necessary.

R. GARDENS
i. Encourage gardens that continue to allow views of buildings.

Click on link and scroll to page 21 for link to LEP 2009
http://www. wollongong. nsw. gov. au /council /governance /Policies /Wollongong% 20DCP% 202009% 20Chapter% 20E11% 20-% 20Heritage% 20Conservation. pdf

Kembla Jottings is brought to you by community volunteers, if you would like help with information and research please ensure you give us enough time to respond, we aren't always on-line or available, one to two weeks lead time is a rough guide.

We are:
"The Sherif" aka KL: Kembla Heights resident, retired miner, former wheeler at Mt Kembla pit, president of Kembla Lodge. Co-founder of Kembla Jottings.
Georgina: Kembla Heights resident, cultural materials conservator, heritage activist. Co -founder of Kembla Jottings and In Search of the Illawarra Koala
Dr Joe: bona fide historian, publisher of books and journals on Illawarra history, founder and admin of several local history pages including Thirroul History in Photos, Austinmer History in Photos.
Scott: local history tour guide, bush walker extraordinaire, founder and admin of Dapto History in Photos and admin on Lost Wollongong.

All posts to provide sources for images you share if not your own to respect the copyright of others and assist future researchers. Images and information shared on Kembla Jottings Facebook Page may also be shared on Kembla Jottings Web Page.

Thank you for your contributions in helping to ensure we preserve and learn from our unique history.