At Tuesday night's Singleton Council meeting, a motion from councillor Tony McNamara calling on the council to reject support for the heritage listing of Ravensworth Homestead complex was passed.
The Ravensworth Homestead complex and its associated pastoral holding was established by surgeon Dr James Bowman from the 1820s with the historic homestead built in the 1830s.
It became a place of controversy in recent years as it is located on top of a significant coal reserve, which mining giant Glencore wished to extract by relocating the homestead.
The plans, known as the Glendell Continuation Project, were rejected by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) in October 2022. The reason for the IPC's refusal was the heritage value of the homestead and its surrounds.
Following the IPC determination the NSW Heritage Council proposed listing the site on their heritage register.
Singleton Council received a recommendation from their heritage officer and their heritage advisory committee to support the state heritage listing.
That recommendation came before council but Cr McNamara motion's to reject that support was passed.
The motion was seconded by Cr Mel McLachlan and Crs Tony Jarrett, Sue George and Danny Thompson spoke in favour of the motion.
Only Cr Sarah Johnstone voted against the motion. Hollee Jenkins recused herself and Godfrey Adamthwaite was absent from the meeting.
Speaking on his motion Cr McNamara said the IPC got it wrong.
He was also highly critical of the heritage assessments provided to the IPC and he was damning of the claims that massacres occurred on the Ravensworth property.
"The best thing that can happen is for the homestead to be relocated and the mine approved," he said.
"Look at Wambo homestead. I know that homestead - now it is falling down. We want to preserve Ravensworth homestead by relocating it," he said.
Glencore, the owners of the Glendell open cut mine, have not appealed the IPC determination.
Native Title applicant and spokesman for the Plains Clan of the Wonnarua People Scott Franks was scathing in his criticism of Singleton Council's vote.
"Don't they realise the importance of this complex, the colonial history alone should make them want to protect the site. I am shocked at council's vote absolutely shocked," he said.
"On my heritage I would say to council why do a welcome to country if you don't care about Wonnarua country?"
In their 'statement of significance' on the homestead complex the Heritage Council said:
"Ravensworth Homestead Complex and its Setting provides rare evidence of colonial efforts to expand settlement into the Hunter Valley, and the way that this impacted the lives of the Aboriginal traditional owners, settlers, overseers and convicts.
"The place retains tangible evidence of the pre-and early colonial period including Aboriginal and European archaeological remains, significant views, landscape features and cultural plantings together with the surviving c1832 homestead complex including its configuration and siting within the landscape.
"It has the potential to provide rare insights into pre and early contact Aboriginal history, colonial building techniques, 19th century lifestyles, agricultural and horticultural practices and the working lives of convicts in a non-institutional setting."
"It is also of potential State historical significance for its association with frontier violence in the Hunter Valley.
"Documentation attests to a number of escalating historical episodes of violence on and/or around the property from 1825 and the involvement of Ravensworth's European inhabitants.
"It is associated in name, and in popular consciousness with the 1832 slaughter of Aboriginal people known as the Ravensworth Massacre.
"The place is of social significance to the Wonnarua Aboriginal people as a symbol of the violence and displacement experienced by their ancestors, the effects of which continue to be experienced by the contemporary community today."
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