St Barnabas hopes to lodge DA by October

BY DHEEPTHI NAMASIVAYAM
Broadway’s historic 150-year-old St Barnabas Church could undergo a radical facelift by next year with the parish hoping to lodge a development application in early October.
A private meeting with members of the congregation was held on September 14 to present the new designs for the iconic church, which went up in flames in May 2006.
According to Mario Falchoni, a parish councillor who is in charge of the redevelopment plans, the congregation’s feedback was ‘fairly positive.’
‘It wasn’t out of the blue for them,’ Mr Falchoni said. ‘There was quite a bit of applause and relief at the end of the process to see some [progress] happening.’
As part of the redevelopment, the main feature of the church will be a 600-seat meeting space, supported by smaller meeting spaces with a modular structure, which can be adapted for different purposes.
These meeting spaces will be available for community use as well as for the congregation.
Furthermore, the DA proposes one level of underground parking which will cater for around 30 spots.
Mr Falchoni told The City News in August that retaining the church’s antique history is crucial to any renovation plans.
He said that certain artefacts which survived the fire, including the church’s pews will be incorporated into the new design. Other relics such as stone and marble plaques that documented significant events from the church’s history will also be on display.
‘Most of the members were very keen on a building that has to be identifiable as a church,’ Mr Falchoni said. ‘The option to make an office-type building wouldn’t have been a preference with the community.’