A Campbell Town couple is still waiting for approval to develop the town’s St Andrew’s Uniting Church into a cafe and wedding venue 18 months after purchasing the property.
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Nicole and Garry Graham moved from New South Wales to Tasmania after falling in love with the historic church in 2014.
But with their detailed plans still in front of the Northern Midlands and Heritage councils, the Grahams are unsure when they will be able to begin work on St Andrew’s, let alone open its doors to the public.
The opening, expected in February this year, will likely take place late 2017.
In the meantime, Mr and Mrs Graham and their six-year-old will sleep in a single bedroom on a hall to the side of the church and run their separate business from a combined living-office-dining area. The church will continue to serve as a storeroom.
The Grahams predict that when The Church is operational they will employ 10 local casuals and a chef from Scotland.
To me it’s an economic issue because we’re not hiring locals
- Nicole Graham
“To me it’s an economic issue because we’re not hiring locals,” Mrs Graham said.
“They’re holding up employment moving forward and it’s really frustrating for people who want to invest from the mainland.”
Once complete, the gardens will be landscaped and feature an outdoor dining area, altar and three-tier fountain.
The interior will draw on elements of the church’s history, with plans for live music on Saturdays to entice people to the town.
“The community’s really, really looking forward to it,” Mrs Graham said.
“We bought this church, this property, but it doesn’t feel like ours because everything we want to do we have to ask permission.”
Mr Graham said: “We knew that before we came down but we didn’t anticipate the delays.”
A Heritage Tasmania spokeswoman said: “An application has been submitted to Heritage Tasmania, however at this stage further information is being sought to enable it to be appropriately assessed. Heritage Tasmania remains willing to provide further advice and assistance to progress the application.”