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Heritage protection now meaningless if historic site is demolished

UPDATED | Destroying an entire heritage precinct for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be an unprecedented loss for Adelaide’s history and heritage protection legislation, argues Keith Conlon – and he’s prepared to stand in front of bulldozers to fight it.

Sep 27, 2022, updated Sep 27, 2022
Part of the historic Thebarton barracks complex. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Part of the historic Thebarton barracks complex. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Shock, dismay and disbelief. They were my first reactions. And they continue to be.

This major state heritage site should never have even been contemplated as a place for a new hospital... or anything else.

The Government has now set up a tragedy. The brief should have read, ‘the best available site’, thus avoiding this very unfortunate winner/loser scenario. It should never have become a case of either/or. There is surely room in the city for both to exist.

The barracks complex contains 10 buildings of significance. Most have been there for more than a century.

Thebarton barracks. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

The barracks began as a new home for South Australia’s famous Police Greys in 1917. Our mounted police force was the first in Australia, dating all the way back to 1838, a little over a year after the arrival of European settlers.

The Greys still play an important part in our ceremonial parades and festivals as well as having an active policing role. The barracks is still their home today.

Police horses outside Thebarton barracks. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

State Heritage Protection legislation was introduced in 1978 by Labor Premier Don Dunstan. Its purpose was to stop exactly this kind of tragic loss of our heritage and history. We have since come to learn that protecting and maintaining our heritage has immense value economically, environmentally and in terms of our sense of place and pride in our state.

Part of Thebarton barracks. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Demolition of State Heritage places has been extremely rare. A government has never before chosen an existing State Heritage site for a new development.

And it has never happened on this scale.

In recent history, three provisionally listed places were taken off the list at the direction of the government minister responsible for heritage. It is a very limited power, restricted to a three-month period and requiring the removal to be deemed “in the public interest”.

The Victor Harbor causeway was recently deemed beyond repair by the previous government and only remnants of it remain at each end.

The controversy over the intended demolition of the Urrbrae Gatehouse near the Waite Research Institute resulted in a revised plan involving its reconstruction near Urrbrae House.

Those losses do not come even close to the intended destruction of 10 significant buildings in an invaluable heritage precinct. This decision will also destroy the community’s confidence in the state heritage system.

If this option is pursued, what next?

Once the fundamental pillar of complete protection is broken down, what other government buildings sitting on highly desirable acreage might this or a future government knock over… always arguing of course that it would be in the economic and public interest!

What about the old Supreme Court on Victoria Square? Or even Ayers House? Surely not? Not until now.

If this plan goes ahead, there is apparently a new argument: It’s heritage protected… but not any more. It is being replaced by something important and good for the community.

This is a trend South Australians should fight against. Because you cannot ever get back precious heritage that is lost.

If we do not succeed in persuading the government to choose another option, I will be standing in front of the bulldozers. They will be destroying a set of buildings that were listed as State Heritage Places because they gave us a tangible connection with a crucial part of our past and how we’ve got here.

Even worse, the Government will also destroy any certainty about heritage protection in South Australia.

I will surely not be alone in feeling desperately let down by this decision. The community should make its feelings known.

My confidence in the government’s approach to heritage is shattered, and I fear the future consequences of this unprecedented site decision.

Keith Conlon is chair of the South Australian Heritage Council. He has written this article in a personal capacity.

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