In a letter sent to Orange City Council and forwarded to the owners of No3 Bathurst Road, which is the first unit of Bowen Terrace adjacent to the church block, the NSW Heritage Council has raised a number of concerns about the proposed development.

Bowen Terrace is a state-heritage listed building while the former church building is in a heritage precinct but, unlike the terrace, is not subject to Heritage NSW regulatory control.

The development application was seeking permission to construct a two-storey building along the eastern side of the church which will house a commercial kitchen, toilets and restaurant support areas on its ground floor while a residence, including a loft bedroom will take out the second level.

Bowen Terrace No3 owners Deanne Phillips and Andrew McDougall are opposed to the development plan and believe the Heritage NSW stance confirms their concerns on its impact on Bowen Terrace and the conservation of east Orange heritage.

"It's a pretty comprehensive rejection of the plan as it is," Mr McDougall said. "It provides strong grounds for council to reject this DA."

In its letter, NSW Heritage states the close proximity of the proposed construction to Bowen Terrace, which it describes as an "imposing and symmetrical structure of 12 terrace houses in a single unbroken row," will compromise the impact of its aesthetic significance.

Structurally, it also states the wall on its northern-most point (No3) is solid brick and requires protection from the weather or adequate ventilation to enable it to dry out. NSW Heritage believes the proposed development would hamper access for maintenance.

It also takes issue with proposed roof line of the new building which it says slopes towards Bowen Terrace and is serviced by an eaves gutter which also runs under a large deciduous tree.

Heritage NSW also places more significance on the small space between the church and the terrace than the Conservation Management Report which accompanied the DA while it also takes exception to the construction of a brick fence on the Summer Street East side of the building, stating it should be a picket fence as recommended in the Statement of Heritage Impact.

In its letter, Heritage NSW says it supports an appropriate adaptive reuse of the former church and agrees with the Conservation Management Strategy that the church and Bowen Terrace are linked as a landmark.

Cr Jeff Whitton also weighed into the debate, saying he hoped council staff would recognise the heritage significance of east Orange.

"We would be very foolish to proceed with a development application that is not fitting with that precinct."

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