Heritage Matters!
Heritage Matters!
Create the opportunity for investment to protect and restore the heritage buildings.
Let’s Protect + Save our Quality Heritage Buildings.
It is great to see that the new Draft Design Guidelines for Bayswater propose the retention of heritage properties, where heritage significance and character is maintained and celebrated. Front setbacks will maintain the prominence of the original building stock, and the readability and and rhythm of the original streetscape is to be evident in the urban grain.
But Do the Guidelines go Far Enough to Actually Protect and Save Bayswater's Heritage?
NOT THEY DON'T!
- A six storey limit for new development has been in place for the last 9 years. NIX NADA NOTHING has happened. The ONLY result is that heritage buildings have degraded even more.
- Maintaining the status quo and expecting a change is, well, madness!
- The Guidelines propose even more onerous side setbacks to current requirements have been proposed. This is going backwards!!!
- The onerous side set-backs will require lot amalgamations as they are difficult to achieve with many small lot holdings in the town centre. Another backward step. With design controls over streetscapes in place, amalgamation should not be forced. What are the unintended consequences?
- Even DevelopmentWA said amalgamation was "it's unlikely to happen". So nothing happens?
- Furthermore, the unique topography of the town centre that increases the complexity for developers, has not been addressed adequately. Neither the advantages nor the complexities.
Integrating Heritage is good!
With greater urban intensity comes the opportunity for more investment to bring existing heritage buildings back to life for adaption, reuse and renovation.
Many of the great towns and cities of the world integrate heritage with new developments beautifully. Many heritage buildings have taller buildings built above them that allowed the heritage buildings to be revived. The State Treasury Building is an excellent example of this.
Height and Heritage
Don’t be fooled by the anti-height brigade who try to conflate the issue of height with heritage.
Low height does not mean heritage is saved - in fact it can be more at risk for the site to be ignored and the heritage building left to degrade further over time.
More storeys don’t mean heritage is lost - in fact taller buildings give rise to the economic opportunities to reinvest back into restoration and reuse of heritage buildings.
SAVE our heritage buildings by attracting investment.
VERDICT
The Draft Bayswater Design Guidelines propose to support protection of heritage in the existing town centre including excellent architectural guidance.
The six storey height limit and more onerous side set backs in a unique topography will NOT generate the investment to save the heritage buildings. This same limit has existed for the last 9 years with nil result. There has been no incentive to invest in the King William/Whatley precinct, which will result in the existing buildings left to degrade even further.
HAVE YOUR SAY!
Let Development WA hear from you that...
"The Whatley/King William precinct heights and setbacks need to be reviewed to attract quality investment to save the heritage fabric this town centre."
DevWA comments form HERE (final date 26th August
Why not wait until you've read all the pros and cons over the next few weeks in the blogs.
We'll provide a summary as a final piece in the series.
Metronet East Bayswater Draft Design Guidelines can be found in full HERE.
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