After more than 100 years old, the Wagga City Council have received an application, planning to demolish St Luke’s Anglican Church to make way for a new chapel and the expansion of the preschool. 

Wagga City Council has received an application to demolish St Luke’s Anglican Church, which has stood for more than 100 years, to make way for a new chapel and the expansion of the preschool. 

Wagga resident Kristy Campbell-Pizarro was shocked to hear the fate of St Luke’s Anglican Church. 

“For me personally, I lived in that street, my kids went to St Luke’s preschool, my parents were married there in 1971 and then I was married there in December 2016,” she said.  

“This is my family church, I was baptised there, my brother and sister were baptised there and I just feel like there is a tradition in that particular church for my family and for Wagga.” 

For Mrs Campbell-Pizarro and her family, while there is a spiritual and emotional connection to the church, she said it has been wasting away. 

“It’s more than just bricks mortar and you’d think that the Anglican church would understand the significance of the building, not just treating it as a building, because that’s not what churches are,” Mrs Campbell-Pizarro said.

“When I had my wedding, most people didn’t even realise that the church was there and I just don’t think it’s being used to its full potential.” 

While the application was only submitted last week and still being assessed by council staff, the council’s city development manager, Paul O’Brien responded to questions of why the church was not heritage protected.

“The listing of buildings as heritage items and establishment of conversations areas is informed by various heritage studies undertaken by council over a number of years,” Mr O’Brien said. 

“While the studies did not recommend the listing of the church as a heritage item, impacts on heritage significance are considered during the assessment of a development application.” 

Similarly, Narelle Sharp, a former Wagga resident, is devastated to hear the church in which her grandparent’s were married will be demolished. 

“I don’t want it to be demolished, there’s a lot of other homes that don’t have the historical and significant value that St Luke’s has to the community,” she said. 

“I feel very strongly about this, it’s just terrible that they’re taking down such a minute bit of land in Wagga.” 

Ms Sharp’s grandparents, Esma Cutler and Samuel Graham, were married at St Luke’s Church in 1928. 

“I would like to see St Luke’s Church in Wagga remain, after 100 years, I think it has earned its place in Wagga’s history,” Ms Sharp said.