Community
11 December, 2025
Piece of history under threat: residents
A piece of Southern Highlands heritage with links to cricketing great Donald Bradman is under threat, residents fear.
A piece of Southern Highlands heritage with links to cricketing great Donald Bradman is under threat, residents fear.
Developers have lodged plans for a property in Elizabeth Street, Moss Vale, which members of a local action group say will change it forever.
NIX (NSW) Pty Ltd is hoping to build four townhouses at 26 Elizabeth Street, Moss Vale.
The existing dwelling, ‘Karingal’, would be retained, but opponents say the proposed townhouses would be “incredibly dominant” and say the proposal lacks any sympathy to the heritage-listed bungalow and its surrounds.
They have urged local residents to lodge an objection as soon as possible given the exhibition period closes this Saturday (December 13).
Karingal is protected under Schedule 5 of the Wingecarribee Local Environmental Plan (WLEP).
The Elizabeth Street home was built in 1927 by Alfred Stephens and Sons – a family business known for some of the region’s most prominent buildings, including the Bowral Court House.
Alfred Stephens Snr became the inaugural president of Berrima District Cricket Association in 1911.
The association’s secretary was Don Bradman’s father George, who was also employed by Alfred as a carpenter.
The proposed townhouses have been designed by architect Studio Coco.
Studio Coco’s website describes Karingal as a “beautiful federation bungalow on a large estate with views of rolling green hills”.
“The new houses take a contemporary spin on the original home’s fabric, using Bowral blue brick and similar geometric forms,” it says.
David Hayman from the Elizabeth Street Action Group described Karingal as a “stately” home on a rise above Elizabeth Street and believes it should be kept the way it is – as an “oasis” and as an important link to the region’s history.
“Once it’s gone it’s gone,” he told The Southern Wire.
He described the proposed townhouse development as a “significant build” that would permanently alter the streetscape forever.
A development proposal previously submitted for the site resulted in an Interim Heritage Order which in turn led to an appeal in the Land and Environment Court.
The DA was subsequently withdrawn.
Objectors say that while the number of proposed townhouses on the site has been reduced from seven to four, the revised proposal does nothing to resolve the “fundamental heritage conflicts”.
DA 26/0612 and the associated documents for 26 Elizebeth Street can be viewed by using the DA Tracker on Wingecarribee Shire Council’s website, www.wsc.nsw.gov.au
Read More: Moss Vale, Southern Highlands