Press - June 2010 to 11 September 2010
POST Newspapers 11 September 2010
Could new blocks save Cliffe?
BY BONNIE CHRISTIAN
The Cliffe could be saved by subdividing the land on which it stands and retaining it on one of the lots, Peppermint Grove shire president Brian Kavanagh says.
He said that allowing the house to remain on a smaller lot might encourage a potential buyer with the financial capacity to restore the house.
Mr Kavanagh’s views were contained in a letter to Cliffe supporter Brian Waldron, a former Perth resident who now lives in Sydney.
Mr Waldron had written to Peppermint Grove councillors expressing his concern over the possibility of an extension being granted to a demolition permit for The Cliffe.
He argued for the preservation of Peppermint Grove’s unique charm and character and detailed how similar suburbs had done this successfully across the country.
He said protecting houses in suburbs such as Sydney’s Federation garden suburb of Haberfield had maintained their charm and desirability.
“The majority of houses there are protected and the area is controlled by Ashfield council’s Haberfield development control plan,” he said.
“This has not only maintained property values in the area, but also made Haberfield more expensive and more desirable than its neighbours.
“Clear guidelines, understood by all, have not only protected the unique nature of the suburb, but maintained it in harmony with the expectations of the residents.
“Put simply, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to live there.”
Mr Waldron said he was alarmed by an attitude in Peppermint Grove that securing a demolition permit for a heritage home would increase its resale value.
The shire had granted demolition approval to Cliffe owner Mark Creasy on the grounds that retaining it might have significant economic consequences.
Mr Kavanagh said: “I have met Mr Creasy on two occasions and I believe he is reluctant to act on the demolition licence until all options have been explored, if ever.”
The fate of The Cliffe has become a controversial topic since the home was placed on the State Register of Heritage Places in 1995.
Mr Creasy bought it before it was placed on the register and it has since been removed twice – first on a technicality and then by a motion in Parliament by Colin Barnett before he became Premier.
In 2007, Mr Barnett told the Legislative Assembly it would cost about $2.8 million to make the house safe and habitable.
In 2008, this price had jumped to more than $3 million, according to Energy Minister Peter Collier.
In 2009, this amount was halved to $1.48 million in a report written for the shire by heritage architects Ian Hocking and Associates.
In his letter to Mr Waldron, Mr Kavanagh said that although the shire did not have the financial capacity or resources to take on such a project, it was working with Mr Creasy to ensure The Cliffe could stay in its current position on Bindaring Parade.
Another option was to relocate The Cliffe down the hill at Keane’s Point, which would cost in excess of $2 million.
“It is beyond the shire’s capacity to raise such an amount without public benefactors coming forward or without state and/or federal government assistance" he said.
The POST Newspaper – Letters - 4 September 2010
Heritage certainty missing at Grove
Brian Waldron
Woolloomooloo, NSW
I can understand Terry Walsh feeling Peppermint Grove’s decision not to grant a demolition permit for his house at 10 The Esplanade is unfair, especially considering that one had previously been granted for The Cliffe just a few doors up the road.
However, unlike Mr Walsh, I agree with the council’s decision, but disagree with the Cliffe decision. The greatest disappointment is the lack of consistency. (POST 28/8).
The heritage of the area should form an unalterable foundation to the landscape, with heritage being protected within the plans. In this way all owners, both existing and potential, would understand the position these significant properties hold within the local and the broader community.
Once these rules are established and accepted, people may then come to understand the benefits of heritage ownership and see past the value of the land occupied by the buildings.
While I feel sympathy for Mr Walsh and his wife and the impact neighbouring developments may have on their property, I hope that the unnecessary confusion will help Peppermint Grove recognise the benefit of incorporating its existing heritage inventory into the town plan.
POST Newspapers 28 Aug 2010
Grove home demo bid blocked
BY BONNIE CHRISTIAN
A Peppermint Grove couple who want a demolition permit for their riverfront heritage house have been refused permission.
Terry and Jan Walsh were prompted to knock down their 1910 Federation Queen Anne style home after Peppermint Grove shire council approved a large new home on the vacant site next door.
Mr Walsh said the new home would shade his main living areas and devalue his property.
In a letter to the council, Mr Walsh disputed that the impact of the new house at 10 The Esplanade was the primary reason for his wish to demolish.
“We wish to make it clear that the primary basis for our application is that there are no provisions in the town planning scheme which would enable the council to refuse our development application to demolish the existing dwelling and outbuildings at 12 The Esplanade,” they said.
An administration report to the council said that when approving a development application the council had to consider the preservation of a building on the Heritage List and any heritage policy of the National Trust or any other relevant body.
The category one home is one of the oldest surviving residences along The Esplanade from the pre-World War I period.
“Buildings which due to their character create the atmosphere of Peppermint Grove should be retained,” the report said.
However, Mr Walsh, a retired judge, said this definition alone could not provide a basis to refuse a demolition application.
“Legal authorities also indicate that the word ‘should’ ... is to be construed as being discretionary rather than mandatory,” he said.
Mr Walsh has argued that Peppermint Grove’s approval to demolish The Cliffe further up the hill set a precedent supporting his application.
The report said that although economic impact was recognised as a factor when the council approved the demolition of The Cliffe, it was not something that should give weight to the planning decision at 12 The Esplanade.
“It is not beyond contemplation, in an effort to reinforce the significance of the place, for conservation works to be undertaken to reinstate its historic integrity and for the place to become an exemplar within the shire,” the report said.
Mr and Mrs Walsh have the right to appeal the decision to the State Administrative Tribunal within 28 days.
POST Newspaper 10 July 2010 - Letters
Cliffe future is of wide concern
Brian Waldron
Woolloomooloo, NSW
It is a pity that Peppermint Grove councillor Dominic Ward doesn’t think very highly of the shire’s policy of welcoming questions from the public (“Ward: Ignore Cliffe queries”, POST, 3/7).
I think it is a policy that should be adopted by all councils throughout the country rather than one that Peppermint Grove should surrender.
I have been very grateful to the shire for its consideration of, and answers to, the questions I have raised.
I think it is also important to remember that questions about the future of The Cliffe are matters of broader interest beyond the residents of the shire.
The Cliffe is a national heritage asset. That isn’t just my opinion. It is an opinion shared by the federal government and the reason why The Cliffe has remained included on the Register of the National Estate for the past 18 years.
It is also why The Cliffe has been classified by the National Trust since 1984, and recently included on its list of WA’s most “at risk” heritage sites.
In fact, the WA Register of Heritage Places is the only heritage listing that has been withdrawn from The Cliffe.
It remains included on the shire’s own heritage list as a Category 1 building.
I’m also not alone in my opinion that the decision to remove The Cliffe from the WA Register of Heritage Places was wrong.
There are another 1300 signatories on the on-line Save The Cliffe petition who also believe the property should be protected.
The POST Newspapers 3 July 2010
The Cliffe features in demolition dispute
BY KERRY FAULKNER
The owner of a century-old riverfront home says Peppermint Grove’s approval to demolish The Cliffe sets a precedent supporting his demolition bid.
Terry Walsh wants a licence to knock down his 1910 Federation Queen Anne-style home at 12 The Esplanade, one of the oldest on the street.
The move was prompted by the shire council’s approval of a large new home on the vacant site next door, which Mr Walsh says will shade his main living areas.
Mr Walsh said this devalued his house, and he wanted to put the home on the market with the demolition approval in place to maximise the value of the 1680sq.m block.
Richard Offen, director of the independent group Heritage Perth, said the shire would be right to refuse to allow demolition.
He said: “Lists are there to provide statutory guidance in making decisions.
“This home is at a high level on the local inventory and the council would be right to refuse its demolition.
“It’s bit strange to ask for a demolition licence to increase the value of the home to sell it.
“Why not leave that for the new owner to decide?”
Mr Offen said heritage homes were selling at a premium. “There’s evidence that shows a home in Mt Lawley that is heritage listed is selling for $35,000 more than a similar non-listed home,” he said.
“There’s a lot of fallacy in asserting that having a heritage listing devalues a home – it doesn’t, and it shouldn’t.”
The council has decided to get the home’s heritage value assessed, partly because of its prominence on one of the suburb’s premier streets (POST, 19/6).
The council also disputes the claim that Mr Walsh’s home has been devalued because the house next door, while approved, has not yet been built.
In a report to the council, the Walshes argue that a demolition licence has been granted for The Cliffe.
This house was built in 1894 and was formerly on the State Register of Heritage Places.
It has been embroiled in controversy since it was placed on the register in 1995.
The Cliffe was removed from the list by a motion in Parliament by Colin Barnett before he became premier.
Demolition approval had been granted on the grounds that the shire recognised that retaining heritage homes might have significant economic consequences, and it accepted the owner’s prerogative to demolish.
Mr Offen said the shire demolition licence for the The Cliffe set a precedent that should not be followed.
“It was the thin end of the wedge and makes a mockery of having lists at all,” he said.
The POST Newspapers 3 July 2010
Ward: Ignore Cliffe queries
Peppermint Grove councillor Dominic Ward said answering questions from The Cliffe preservation supporter Brian Waldron was a waste of time.
At the recent shire council meeting, Mr Ward said Mr Waldron was not a ratepayer and wasted shire resources with his constant questions about the council’s part in granting a demolition licence for the 1894 Peppermint Grove house.
He urged the shire to cease correspondence.
Shire president Brian Kavanagh said he would look into it but he did not think ceasing communication was an option.
Mr Waldron, a former Perth resident who lives in Woolloomooloo, NSW, is spearheading the Save The Cliffe website and campaign.
He was friends with brothers Rob and Dave McComb, original members of the cult band, The Triffids, whose parents owned the house when the band was formed.
Mr Waldron spent many hours at The Cliffe and has maintained a strong interest in its preservation.
He has also questioned Local Government Minister John Castrilli about the council’s issuing a demolition licence for a building in the top category of its municipal heritage list.
In his most recent letter, Mr Castrilli replied: “The town planning scheme enables the shire to take heritage considerations into account when determining development applications, which include requests for demolition.
“I am not in a position to answer your question as to how the shire of Peppermint Grove considered the owner’s application, and suggest you direct your enquiry on this aspect to the shire.”
The POST Newspaper – Letters - 26 June 2010
Welcome to Bananatown Shire
Brian Waldron
Woolloomooloo, NSW
While I can understand Terry Walsh’s frustration (“New home sparks heritage fall-out”, POST, 19/6), I am deeply concerned that the Holy Dollar is destroying WA’s heritage.
And Peppermint Grove seems to be a great example of all that is going wrong.
Has it really come to the point where the chic way to improve the value of your real estate investment in the shire is to demolish your own home?
The Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990 was intended to protect the heritage and history of WA for future generations.
The mandated municipal heritage inventories, introduced under the Act, sought to provide protection through local government authorities.
It is clear that Peppermint Grove’s municipal inventory offers little, if any, protection.
Councillor Rachel Thomas is perhaps a bit misleading when she says that while Category 2 houses have been demolished, Category 1 houses have not. While not yet demolished, just up the street The Cliffe is a Category 1 building currently subject to a demolition permit issued by the council.
If the shire is serious about heritage, then it needs to incorporate its heritage inventory into its town plan.
If it is more interested in maintaining property values (and presumably rates revenue), then I suggest it issue demolition permits to all ratepayers so that all can compete equitably in the property market.
That sounds crazy to me but, given the Peppermint Grove real estate market, it might be a reasonable thing.
While we’re at it, why not replace the suburb’s famous peppermint trees with verge plantings of bananas? Not only would you enjoy the edible fruit and flowers, but the shire could be renamed Bananatown.
Then we could erect a sign on Richardson Avenue, saying:
Welcome to Bananatown,
Where everything is upside down
Buy a house, knock it down
Wear your wallet as a crown.
