Plug pulled on Lane Cove’s Lucretia Baths: Council to return heritage site to nature

The local council claims the cost of restoration would be around two million dollars.

Author

Huw Bradshaw
February 20, 2026

After sitting closed to the public for years, the reconstruction of Lane Cove’s Heritage listed Lucretia Baths has been axed.

What happened: Lane Cove Councillors voted unanimously on Thursday evening to remove the Jean Mitchell Baths — also known as the Lucretia Baths — and allow nature to reclaim the area. 

  • The Lucretia Baths have been closed since 2023, after council staff said the structure was no longer safe. According to council documents, the site has only further deteriorated since then. 

The harbourside baths were built in the 1920s by local Lane Cove residents. 

Fixer upper: Successive repairs and reconstructions of the baths by locals occurred in 1968 and 1987. The site came into council hands in 1992.

  • The baths received a local Heritage listing in 2010. Its listing describes it as “one of three remaining examples of timber-paling harbourside baths left in Sydney”.

According to consultation carried out in 2023, 80 percent of the local community was in favour of rebuilding the baths. However, council staff have now advised that the project was not financially viable.

The cost: According to council, restoring the baths would set Lane Cove ratepayers back two million dollars.  

  • “It is a really expensive facility to maintain”, Director for Community and Culture, Stephanie Kelly said at council’s Thursday meeting. 

The council previously budgeted 10,000 dollars annually toward the upkeep of the baths.

The total estimated cost of demolishing the baths and rewilding the foreshore area is $185,000. A significant chunk of this budget will go towards navigating the approval process for the demolition of a heritage item.

What happens now: Rewilding refers to the restoration of a plot of land to a natural, uncultivated state. Rewilding can help strengthen the populations of native animals. 

However, according to the Invasive Species Council, returning a plot of land to bush is not enough on its own: proactive measures must be taken against invasive species in order for native wildlife to thrive.