Century-old home facing demolition fell off Perth heritage list in move that divided council
The 120-year-old Outram Street home facing demolition to make way for Gina Rinehart's $250 million West Perth development was on the cusp of being added to Perth's heritage list until former lord mayor Basil Zempilas intervened.
In a statement to this masthead, the City of Perth revealed the property had been identified as part of a two-year-long survey of culturally significant places for its database between 2021 and 2022.
The expansive 4000-page review, mandated under the state's heritage laws, canvassed more than 700 properties the city's officers recommended be added or updated in its records.
City officers inspecting the property found the single-storey Federation-style home at 27 Outram Street in West Perth was substantially intact — having retained the original timber porch, doors, fireplace and tiles — and ruled it worthy of inclusion due to its historical significance.
Perth-based consultants Planning Solutions, engaged by Hancock Prospecting – which had purchased the property for $4.23 million in 2021 – penned a strongly worded letter to the city on November 30, 2022.
In it, the consultants acknowledged the 1904 home built had 'moderate significance', but demanded assurances its status would not be elevated in a way that saw it subject to development constraints.
The consultants, which were among 21 to write a letter of objection to the city's plans, then gave a public deputation against the inclusion of the home and Hancock Prospecting's 1980s headquarters, which had been identified for its association with mining pioneer Lang Hancock.
The city's officers stared down those who objected to the inclusion of 16 properties, including 27 Outram Street, recommending the council adopt the survey in its original form.
But when it came time for council to endorse the survey at a meeting on March 28, 2023, Zempilas stepped in, moving an alternate motion that scrubbed the properties from the list.
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