Proposed Office Development at the Corner of Parliament Place and Harvest Terrace, West Perth Heritage Impact Statement

Prepared for the Pivot Group December 2020 | Job No: L20-023

ARCHITECTURE + HERITAGE Issue Date Status Prepared by Distribution 1 05 November 2020 Draft Nisar Dar Rowe Group, Bolig Design Group 2 09 December 2020 Final Nisar Dar Rowe Group, Bolig Design Group

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Contents

1. Introduction 4 1.1 Purpose 4 1.2 References 4 1.3 Subject Site 5 2. Heritage Status and Significance 9 2.1 Heritage Listings 9 2.2 Statement of Significance 10 3. Built Form and Historic Context 14

4. Proposal 21

5. Heritage Impact Assessment 23

6. Conclusion 28

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 3 1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose This Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) has been prepared to form part of a Development Application to the West Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) for a new four storey office building located at No.1, 3 and 5 Harvest Terrace, West Perth. The proposal has been prepared as a result of a successful response to the State Government’s ‘Office Accommodation Parliamentary Precinct; Request for Expressions of Interest’.

The proposal is located opposite Parliament House to the east and directly adjacent Harvest House to the north. Both places are of cultural heritage significance with Parliament House listed as a permanent entry on the State Register of Heritage Places and Harvest House on the Heritage Council’s assessment program, currently progressing towards registration. Both places are also included on the City of Perth’s Heritage List compiled under the City’s Town Planning Scheme No.2. The proposal also includes the demolition of two properties located at No.1 and 5 Harvest Terrace; neither of these hold any statutory heritage listing.

The proposal is also located within the Parliament House Precinct, which contains a number of historic government buildings and grounds that include Parliament House, Dumas House, former Hale School and the Old Observatory. This civic precinct does not have any heritage listing but is nevertheless important in assessing the heritage impact of the proposal due to its prominent and elevated location characterised by these landmark heritage buildings set within open grounds that collectively form a significant cultural landscape.

As a consequence of the overall heritage context, this HIS will describe and evaluate the likely impact of the proposal on the following places:

• Parliament House & Grounds • Harvest House (No.7 Harvest Terrace) • Parliament House Precinct

1.2 References The HIS has been prepared in accordance with the requirements set out of in the ‘Heritage Impact Statement - A Guide’, published by the Heritage Council Western Australia. The assessment has been made against the following architectural drawings prepared by Bolig Design Group, dated August and November 2020:

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Reference has also been made to the following landscape drawings prepared by Plan E, dated July 2020:

• C1.101, revC | Landscape Concept Plan • C3.101, revB | Planting Palette - Ground • C3.102, revB | Planting Palette - Level 1

Reference has also been made to the following:

• Heritage Council of Western Australia, Register of Heritage Places: Register Entry and Assessment Documentation for Parliament House & Grounds, ref: P2239, 05 November 2020. • Heritage Council of Western Australia, Register of Heritage Places: Draft Register Entry and Assessment Documentation for Harvest House, ref: P3925, 27 November 2020. • City of Perth, Heritage Place Record Detail for Harvest House, June 2001. • City of Perth, Precinct Plan No.10 West Perth, 11 April 2017 • Parliament House Planning Precinct Policy, Planning Bulletin July 1983. • Site visit undertaken on 04 November 2020 to assess overall heritage context.

1.3 Subject Site Located in West Perth, the subject site is within the City of Perth, approximately 1km west of the Perth CBD. The site is bound by existing commercial development to the north and west, Harvest Terrace to the east and Parliament Place to the south. The grounds of the Parliament of Western Australia are

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 5 located immediately east and Harvest House (No.7 Harvest Terrace) to the north. There are currently two single storey buildings located on the site at No.1 and No.5 Harvest Terrace. The property at No.3 Harvest Terrace has been demolished and cleared creating a vacant lot.

The subject site rises up in a southwards direction along Harvest Terrace and remains relatively flat along Parliament Place. The surrounding built-up urban landscape is a varied mix of low-rise commercial and office buildings in the vicinity of Hay Street, and multi-storey residential developments on Malcolm Street. The hillside to the south of Parliament Place is predominantly open space which includes the reserve on which Dumas House, the Old Observatory and the former Hale School buildings are located.

As part of the City of Perth’s Planning Scheme No.2, the site is included within Precinct Plan No.10 West Perth, which also includes a Metropolitan Region Scheme Clause 32 area that defines the spatial boundaries of Parliament House Precinct. The site is located within the inner precinct boundary of this area that was established in order to protect the prominence of Parliament Hill and its relationship to the city centre, as well as the need to control the aesthetic aspect of development in the vicinity of Parliament House.

Refer to figure 1 for location plan, figure 2 for a site plan showing the proposal in relation to its heritage context, and figure 3 for location within the boundaries of the Parliament House Precinct.

Figure 1. Location Plan (image courtesy of Rowe Group).

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HARVEST HOUSE NO.7 HARVEST TERRACE REF: P3925 STATE REGISTER OF HERITAGE PLACES (ASSESSMENT PROGRAM) NO.1 & 5 HARVEST TERRACE NO STATUTORY HERITAGE LISTING NO.3 HARVEST TERRACE (VACANT LOT)

SUBJECT SITE NO.1, 3 & 5 HA HARVEST TERRACE Y STREET

PARLIAMENT PLACE

VEST TERRACE

HAR

HALE SCHOL (FMR) SOLIDARTY PARK

MITCHELL FREEW

VELOCK STREET

HA THE OLD OBSERVATORY

MALCOLM STREET

DUMAS HOUSE KINGS P ARK ROAD

N LEGEND

Adjacent Heritage Listed Places in PARLIAMENT HOUSE & GROUNDS Close Proximity to Site NO.4 HARVEST TERRACE REF: P2239 STATE REGISTER OF HERITAGE PLACES

Subject Site

Figure 2. Site Plan showing subject site in context of heritage places (base aerial map by Landgate, 2020).

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 7

GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100 Figure 3. Parliament House Precinct (image courtesy of Rowe Group).

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2. Heritage Status and Significance

2.1 Heritage Listings

Parliament House & Grounds

The following list summarises the heritage listings relevant to Parliament House & Grounds.

Register / Listing Name Date Statutory Listing WA State Register of Heritage Places Parliament House & Grounds (Ref: P2239) 05 Nov 2020 (Permanent Entry) City of Perth’s Local Government Parliament House & Grounds 13 Mar 2001, (Municipal) Heritage Inventory, 26 June 2001 subsequently on Heritage List Register / Listing Name Date Non-statutory Listing Register of the National Estate Parliament House & Grounds (indicative place) Classified by the National Trust (WA) Parliament House & Grounds 11 Oct 2004

Harvest House (No.7 Harvest Terrace)

The following list summarises the heritage listings relevant to Harvest House.

Register / Listing Name Date Statutory Listing WA State Register of Heritage Places Harvest House (Ref: P3925) 27 Nov 2020 (Assessed - Stakeholder Consultation) City of Perth’s Local Government Harvest House 13 Mar 2001, (Municipal) Heritage Inventory, Historical Place Name: Kalmeta 26 June 2001 Heritage List

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 9 Parliament House Precinct (Inner Boundary)

There is no formal heritage listing for this area but is nevertheless considered to be of cultural heritage significance within which the subject site is located.

No.1 and No.5 Harvest Terrace

Both these places have no statutory or non-statutory heritage listing. As a precursor to this development they were assessed by the Heritage Council of Western Australia under the Government Heritage Property Disposal Process (GHPDP). This involved a preliminary review of both places to ascertain their cultural heritage significance through historical research and analysis. The outcome of this process was that the Heritage Council considered that both places did not warrant a full assessment to progress registration, thus concluding they had no heritage value to the State. In addition, they are not included on the City of Perth’s Heritage List and therefore deemed to have no heritage value to the Local Government.

2.2 Statement of Significance

Parliament House & Grounds

The Heritage Council of Western Australia have prepared the following statement of significance taken from their Register Entry for Parliament House & Grounds:

Parliament House & Grounds, a two and three storey stone and tile building in the Federation Academic Classical (1904) and Late Twentieth Century Stripped Classical styles (1964), with landscaped grounds, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

the place is a symbol of the establishment of State government in Western Australia and provides a strong sense of historical continuity in its function. It contributes to the community’s sense of identity, providing an important physical and symbolic presence, as the centre of government and decision making;

the place is an important and well recognised landmark, situated in a prominent and elevated location overlooking the city of Perth and the Swan River. The imposing 1964 eastern façade, with its carefully considered proportions and water feature (1971), is clearly visible from a number of major vantage points and is visually linked with Barracks Arch across the Mitchell Freeway;

the 1904 section of the building, comprising the western wing and the two Chambers, expresses the sense of grandeur and pride associated with the establishment of the place through both the external and internal design, finishes and furnishings and by the use of

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Western Australian building materials. Designed by the Public Works Department, under the direction of Chief Architect J H Grainger, major aspects of the parliamentary system are embodied in the layout and fabric of the building, with the Chambers providing a publicly accessible symbol of the parliamentary process for the people of Western Australia;

the streetscape qualities of the building, when viewed from both Harvest Terrace and Parliament Place, in association with the landscape treatment to these streets, serve to emphasise the status of Parliament House & Grounds and contribute to the community’s sense of place;

the well maintained grounds are regarded as a prestigious and symbolic venue for the conduct of important civic ceremonies, as the primary point of contact between the media and parliamentarians, as well as a gathering point for public rallies;

the incomplete construction of the original 1904 building from what was originally planned left the grand eastern elevation unconstructed until 1964 due to a lack of funds, and illustrates the austerity of the Government whose concerns over expenditure during the subsequent periods of economic depression and wars, placed the need for housing, hospitals and schools above the completion of Parliament House; and,

the place forms an integral component of the historic civic precinct, which also includes Hale School (fmr) (now The Constitutional Centre of Western Australia and Hale House), the Old Observatory and Dumas House. Marked to the east by Parliament House & Grounds, the buildings of this precinct are set in open landscaped grounds on the rise of the hill to the west of the complex.

Harvest House

The Heritage Council of Western Australia have prepared the following statement of significance taken from their Draft Register Entry for Harvest House:

Harvest House, West Perth a two-storey Victorian Italianate residence constructed of brick masonry with a corrugated iron roof has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

the place was the headquarters of the Women’s Services Guilds of Western Australia from 1956 to 1982, a prominent and active women’s organisation concerned with education, health, social justice and equal employment opportunity issues;

the place is rare as a known example of a site associated with an important social activist group for more than 20 years;

the place is associated with Bessie Rischbieth, President and an active member of the Women’s Services Guilds, a notable figure in advocating for women’s and children’s rights both nationally and internationally;

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 11 the building is a good example of a substantial residence erected at the height of the Western Australian gold boom, displaying design and craftsmanship characteristics that were prevalent at the time;

the place is indicative of the move of the wealthy citizens of Perth away from the commercial city centre, and the beginning of the trend towards the development of substantial homes to the west of the city. It is evidence of the dynamic nature of the city at the time of its construction;

the place has landmark value for its Italianate architectural style, scale and location, opposite the northern approach to Parliament House; and,

the place was built as a residence for Major Thomas Sherwood and his family, a prominent member of Perth’s business, religious and sporting society.

Parliament House Precinct (Inner Boundary)

There is no formal statement of significance available for this precinct as there is no heritage listing. However due to its distinct character it is considered to be a significant cultural landscape in the locality for the following reasons:

• The precinct has high townscape value due to being such an important and well established area, situated in a prominent and elevated location overlooking the city of Perth and the Swan River. • The place contains rich layers of Western Australian history represented by following places that have been entered onto the State Register of Heritage Places: ◊ Parliament House & Grounds. ◊ Dumas House. ◊ The Old Observatory. ◊ Hale School (fmr) (now The Constitutional Centre of Western Australia and Hale House). ◊ Solidarity Park. ◊ Harvest House (Heritage Council’s Assessment Program). • It has high social value for its continued association with the State Government of Western Australia that collectively represents the physical manifestation of the aim to centralise all Government departments in this area. It has an integral symbolic and physical function for the identity of the State as the centre for Government, decision making and democracy. • It is a significant civic asset to the city being symbolic of community aspirations and a place embodying both the history and future aspirations of the State. • The precinct has unique landscape value because of the collection of buildings that is emphasised by the nature of the openness of the area in relation to the density of the surrounding locality of West Perth. All buildings are generally set back from the street and are in a vast grassed landscape that collectively form a significant cultural landscape within the experience of the city. This heritage landscape acts as a threshold to the adjacent built form of West Perth.

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• The precinct can be described as an urban parkland offering a place of respite for workers, local residents and visitors, improving amenity and landscape that helps to celebrate the heritage context.

No.1 and No.5 Harvest Terrace

No statement of significance is available.

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 13 3. Built Form and Historic Context

Parliament House & Grounds

The majority of the following information has been extracted and summarised from the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register Entry for Parliament House & Grounds, dated November 2020:

Parliament House & Grounds comprises a prominent two and three storey stone and tile building in a combination of the Federation Academic Classical and Late Twentieth Century Stripped Classical architectural styles. It was built over a number of stages with the first being from 1902-04 which remains in place with many of the spaces and elements being authentic fabric from this time. It was conceived as a classically derived building, which was to have been completed with a grand eastern face overlooking the city, but only the western section was realised. The open space to the east of the west wing eventually became the present courtyard, which in its turn has been subject to gradual change.

The development from the 1958-64 period produced the built form and landscape setting that is now most visible from the city and city approaches. The eastern wing is a stripped classical design made the more imposing by its elevated location and the fact that most of the foreground is open and landscaped with lawns, trees and water features (now redundant).

Rottnest and Donnybrook stone was used for the exterior walls of the 1902-04 section of the building facing Harvest Terrace. The Rottnest stone is of a white/grey tone, which can be seen in all except the central second storey. This section is of Donnybrook stone, which has yellow/cream tones and contrasts with the rest of the western façade. The base of this part of the building is a rock faced granite with a dressed upper edge. Donnybrook stone cladding is used to all other sections of the building.

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Figure 4. Parliament House & Grounds as viewed from the northern end of Harvest Terrace (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Figure 5. Parliament House & Grounds as viewed from the southern end of Harvest Terrace (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 15 Harvest House (No. 7 Harvest Terrace)

The majority of the following information has been extracted and summarised form the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register Entry for Parliament House & Grounds, dated June 2020:

Harvest House, West Perth is a two-storey residence built c.1892-1893 constructed of brick masonry with a corrugated iron roof. Although altered since its original construction, the architectural style is best described as Victorian Italianate with use of classical proportions such as the asymmetrically placed faceted bay window to the ground floor front facade, the use of stucco mouldings and the window opening fenestration, where windows are grouped rather than spaced evenly across the facade. Although painted, the walls display the texture of the brickwork with Flemish bond used for the front wall facade and stretcher bond for all other external walls. The roof is of a hipped configuration which is visible from the front, but through being pitched back without gables or other distinguishing features, is not a dominant element. The extension to the rear has a skillion roof.

The building originally had a two-storey verandah on the front, but this has been removed and replaced with a raised concrete porch at ground level. There is an extension to the rear of the house that accommodates an external stair and service areas that was built when the first floor of the building was divided into two separate flats in the 1930s. There is also a triple carport to the rear. The building was originally used as a residence and is now used as office space for politicians at ground floor level and is currently vacant at first floor level. It is an example of a substantial residence erected at the height of the Western Australian gold boom, displaying design and craftsmanship characteristics that were prevalent at the time.

The place has some landmark status through its scale and visual prominence on Harvest Terrace that is located on the northern approach to Parliament House. Despite alterations, the internal characteristics still retains a sense of the grandeur and formality of a Victorian house through its layout, proportion and geometry.

The place is of particular importance to the history of the State as it operated as the headquarters of the Women’s Services Guild of WA from 1956 to 1982. Founded in 1909, this was a prominent and active women’s organisation concerned with education, health, social justice and equal employment opportunity issues. The place is also associated with the Sherwood family, a prominent and respected Western Australian family who had made significant contributions to the development of the business and social life of the colony.

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Figure 6. Front street facade (east elevation) of Harvest House. Note property at No.5 Harvest Terrace to the left hand side (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Figure 7. Rear view of Harvest House with No.5 and vacant lot of No.3 Harvest Terrace to the right hand side (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 17 Parliament House Precinct (Inner Boundary)

In 1897 Parliament investigated in detail two sites for the construction of Parliament House. Building designs were prepared for both sites and eventually in consideration of the significance of the Institution of Parliament and consequently of Parliament House, Parliament decided on the Harvest Terrace site on the axis of St. George’s Terrace overlooking and being visible from the City.

In 1963 an Inter Departmental Committee was formed to study the environment of Parliament House. Whilst assessing the impact of the Mitchell Freeway and of the Public Office development, the importance of Parliament Hill and its relationship with the City was established that led to the formation of this precinct with accompanying planning policies.

The precinct is nominally bounded by Hay Street to the north, the Mitchell Freeway to the east, Kings Park Road and Malcolm Street to the south and Havelock Street to the west. It comprises a diverse range of uses, topographic conditions, landscaping and a number of historically and architecturally significant places that are summarised below.

Parliament House & Grounds and Harvest House See information in preceding section.

Dumas House Dumas House is a fourteen-storey government office building constructed in the Post-War International style. The building is located on a prominent, elevated site, is clearly visible from many points around the city and wider metropolitan area. Its location at the western edge of the urban skyline enhances the landmark value of the place. The place has been associated with the State Government of Western Australia since its construction in 1966, providing office accommodation for Government departments and Ministers.

The Old Observatory The Old Observatory is a two storey red brick building in a Victorian style with a shingle roof to serve as an office and residence for the Government Astronomer. Completed in 1896, the building has a high square tower and a semi circular two storey verandah. It has high townscape value being an important landmark located in a prominent position near Parliament House and Old Hale School.

Hale School (fmr) Hale School (fmr) comprises a single-storey brick and tile school building designed in Federation Gothic style, a two-storey brick and tile boarding house building in the Inter-war Romanesque style, with references to the Californian Bungalow style and a number of outbuildings. The place has high townscape values because of the buildings’ form and location. This is emphasised by the nature of the openness of the site in relation to the density of the surrounding locality of West Perth.

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Figure 8. View looking towards Parliament House from Parliament Place. Note No.1 Harvest Terrace to the left hand side (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Figure 9. View looking up towards Dumas House and the Old Observatory from Malcolm Street. Note the open grounds of grassed areas and mature trees (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 19 Figure 10. View form Parliament Place looking up towards the elevated position of former Hale School (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Figure 11. View of Solidarity Park at junction of Harvest Terrace and Parliament Place (Dar Studio, November 2020).

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4. Proposal

New Development

The proposal comprises a new four storey office building to accommodate Parliamentary offices for the State Government. The building also includes two basement levels accessed from Harvest Terrace, with the ground floor raised above street level. Ground, first, second and third floor levels have glazing to all four sides around a centralised service core.

The sub-basement level provides services and maintenance access along with the buildings transformer, switch room, pumps and tanks. The basement level is accessed from Harvest Terrace via a ramp and provides a total of 48 car bays including disabled parking and loading bays. The basement also provides access to the secure bicycle parking and end of trip facilities with direct secure lift access to the upper levels. Additional facilities such as the building’s central bin store, communications room and store room are also provided at this level. The basement is serviced by a 3 lift core and escape stairs. There are raised planter beds with landscaping to the perimeter of the building whilst maintaining a deep root planting area outside of the boundary to the street. The walls to both street facades that enclose the basement level are clad in Donnybrook stone that alter in height to address the change in level along both Parliament Place and Harvest Terrace.

The ground floor is raised above natural ground level that utilises a ramp off Parliament Place to form the main entrance. Landscaping surrounds the majority of the building both at street level and at ground floor podium level. The podium level provides access to courtyards and seating set into the landscape, all secured from public access but still maintaining a sense of visibility and connection to the building.

The facades of the building have floor to ceiling glazing with colour back glazing above and below a dado of clear glazing allowing natural light penetration. The office space is located around a central core incorporating three lifts, services risers, escape stairs and toilets. The level one, two and three office levels are duplicates of one another providing open plan office space around the central core. There is louvred screening at roof level to conceal plant equipment and the service core.

The design of the proposal is presented as a composition of simple and elegant facades in glass with the ability to reflect the surroundings. The façades have a series of square and rectangular projecting sunshade elements to provide vertical and horizontal articulation as well as functional awnings. The west facade is somewhat different to the others in that it also incorporates an area of exposed aggregate grey coloured precast concrete panels.

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 21 Figure 12. Ground floor plan of proposed development (Bolig Design Group, August 2020).

Figure 13. Visual of proposed development at junction of Parliament Place and Harvest Terrace (Bolig Design Group, November 2020).

Demolition

The proposal also involves demolition of two existing single storey properties and associated structures at No.1 and No.5 Harvest Terrace. No.3 Harvest Terrace is currently vacant with demolition already taken place.

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5. Heritage Impact Assessment

Evaluation Against Heritage Values of Parliament House & Grounds

This assessment measures the proposal against the heritage values of the place outlined in the Statement of Significance for Parliament House & Grounds.

Heritage Values Potential Heritage Impact Degree of Heritage Impact and Mitigation The place is a symbol of the This is a historic and social Neutral / no discernible impact. establishment of State value which will not be government in Western impacted by the proposal. The Australia and provides a strong public interface with the building sense of historical continuity in will be maintained. its function. It contributes to the community’s sense of identity, providing an important physical and symbolic presence, as the centre of government and decision making. The place is an important and The proposal will not impact on Neutral / no discernible impact. well recognised landmark, this value. The proposal is situated in a prominent and located to the west and as such elevated location overlooking will not interfere with any views the city of Perth and the Swan of the imposing eastern facade River. The imposing 1964 which provides its landmark eastern façade, with its carefully status when viewed from the considered proportions and City and Swan River. water feature (1971), is clearly visible from a number of major vantage points and is visually linked with Barracks Arch across the Mitchell Freeway;

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 23 Heritage Values Potential Heritage Impact Degree of Heritage Impact and Mitigation The 1904 section of the No changes are proposed to Neutral / no discernible impact. building, comprising the the fabric of the building with western wing and the two the development being in close Chambers, expresses the proximity. As such this value will sense of grandeur and pride not be impacted by the associated with the proposal. establishment of the place through both the external and internal design, finishes and furnishings and by the use of Western Australian building materials. Designed by the Public Works Department, under the direction of Chief Architect J H Grainger, major aspects of the parliamentary system are embodied in the layout and fabric of the building, with the Chambers providing a publicly accessible symbol of the parliamentary process for the people of Western Australia. The streetscape qualities of the Views along Harvest Terrace to Minor impact. The proposal is building, when viewed from the building will be retained with on the opposite side of the both Harvest Terrace and the proposal having a minor street to Parliament House so Parliament Place, in association impact on the streetscape there is already a degree of with the landscape treatment to presence due to its overall form space and separation between these streets, serve to and scale. Views along the two. emphasise the status of Parliament Place will in the main Parliament House & Grounds be retained, but there will be and contribute to the some loss of view due to the community’s sense of place. height of the proposal being four stories compared to the existing single storey buildings. This impact is proposed to be mitigated to some extent through material selection of Donnybrook Stone to the base perimeter walls that allows a degree of synergy between the old and new. The proposed ground floor setback of 7.3m from Parliament Place and 3.7m from Harvest Terrace aim to maximise sight lines and help 24 to mitigate against this impact. Dar Studio | Architecture + Heritage

Heritage Values Potential Heritage Impact Degree of Heritage Impact and Mitigation The well maintained grounds No changes are proposed to Neutral / no discernible impact. are regarded as a prestigious the grounds of the building with and symbolic venue for the the development being in close conduct of important civic proximity. As such this value will ceremonies, as the primary not be impacted by the point of contact between the proposal. media and parliamentarians, as well as a gathering point for public rallies. The incomplete construction of This is a historic and social Neutral / no discernible impact. the original 1904 building from economic value which will not what was originally planned left be impacted by the proposal. the grand eastern elevation unconstructed until 1964 due to a lack of funds, and illustrates the austerity of the Government whose concerns over expenditure during the subsequent periods of economic depression and wars, placed the need for housing, hospitals and schools above the completion of Parliament House. The place forms an integral component of the historic civic precinct, which also includes Hale School (fmr) (now The Constitutional Centre of Western Australia and Hale See following section for heritage impact analysis on this value House), the Old Observatory (Evaluation Against Parliament House Precinct). and Dumas House. Marked to the east by Parliament House & Grounds, the buildings of this precinct are set in open landscaped grounds on the rise of the hill to the west of the complex.

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 25 Evaluation Against Heritage Values of Harvest House

This assessment measures the proposal against the heritage values of the place outlined in the Statement of Significance for Harvest House.

Heritage Values Potential Heritage Impact Degree of Heritage Impact and Mitigation The place was the This is a historic and social Neutral / no discernible impact. headquarters of the Women’s value which will not be Services Guilds of Western impacted by the proposal. Australia from 1956 to 1982, a prominent and active women’s organisation concerned with education, health, social justice and equal employment opportunity issues. The place is rare as a known This is a historic and social Neutral / no discernible impact. example of a site associated value which will not be with an important social activist impacted by the proposal. group for more than 20 years. The place is associated with This is a historic and social Neutral / no discernible impact. Bessie Rischbieth, President value which will not be and an active member of the impacted by the proposal. Women’s Services Guilds, a notable figure in advocating for women’s and children’s rights both nationally and internationally. The building is a good example No changes are proposed to Neutral / no discernible impact. of a substantial residence the fabric of the building with erected at the height of the the development being in close Western Australian gold boom, proximity. As such this value will displaying design and not be impacted by the craftsmanship characteristics proposal. that were prevalent at the time. The place is indicative of the This is a historic value which will Neutral / no discernible impact. move of the wealthy citizens of not be impacted by the Perth away from the proposal. commercial city centre, and the beginning of the trend towards the development of substantial homes to the west of the city. It is evidence of the dynamic nature of the city at the time of its construction.

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Heritage Values Potential Heritage Impact Degree of Heritage Impact and Mitigation The place has landmark value The proposal will have a Moderate impact. for its Italianate architectural moderate impact on this value style, scale and location, due to its contrasting scale and opposite the northern approach form that sits directly alongside to Parliament House. Harvest House. The place was built as a This is a historic value which will Neutral / no discernible impact. residence for Major Thomas not be impacted by the Sherwood and his family, a proposal. prominent member of Perth’s business, religious and sporting society.

Evaluation Against Parliament House Precinct (Inner Boundary)

The proposal is considered to have a minor impact on the Parliament House Precinct due to its location on the periphery that acts as a threshold to the adjacent built form of West Perth. The depth of the road to Parliament Place and Harvest Terrace along with the proposed setbacks also provide a significant buffer to address the contrast between the proposal and landscape features of the precinct. In some ways the proposal helps to define the precinct boundary through its contrasting built form that in turn accentuates the inherent characteristics of the immediate historic context.

All the historic and social values of the precinct will not be impacted upon by the proposal with the setting of the heritage buildings, accessibility and views all retaining their symbolic presence. It is also worth noting that the general landscape at street level consists of a variety of mature trees that conceal much of the subject site.

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 27 6. Conclusion

The proposal has been measured against the Statement of Significance of Parliament House & Grounds, Harvest House and the considered heritage values of the Parliament House Precinct, and concludes overall that the proposal will retain the core heritage values of these places. The proposal does not impact on any historic and social values and there are considered to be no significant negative impacts. There is however considered to be a minor impact on the streetscape value of Parliament House & Grounds, a moderate impact on the landmark value of Harvest Terrace and a minor impact on the context of the Parliament House Precinct.

Collectively these impacts are considered to be adequately mitigated with the proposed design being of a simple composition with the use of glazing to the perimeter that provides a suitable contemporary backdrop to the wider historic precinct as well as the adjacent heritage buildings. In addition to the proposed setbacks and the road buffer of Parliament Place and Harvest Terrace, the proposal is also significantly screened from view with mature trees and the sloping topography which helps with impact mitigation. The use of Donnybrook Sandstone cladding to the plinth of the new building provides some synergy to the material palette of Parliament House which helps in providing a tangible connection between the old and new.

The proposal is a contemporary development that allows the surrounding heritage context of the Parliament House Precinct to retain its own unique identity and the new to radiate its own specific identity that is congruent to the adjacent area of West Perth. The weight and gravity of the solid masonry construction of Parliament House and Harvest House speak of their durability and inherent symbolism of permanence. In contrast, the majority glazed building of the proposal has a material and surface language of its own. This approach embodies the basic principle to preserve the originality and character of the heritage context without competing with it.

The proposal is required to be located within this heritage context as the use is directly associated with Parliament House. This fosters the historic and social values of the site which will continue to be connected with government departments. The proposal allows the site to function in a way that strikes a positive balance between development in a significant heritage context whilst meeting contemporary needs of Parliamentary operations.

28 Dar Studio | Architecture + Heritage

Figure 14. View from Harvest Terrace looking towards Solidarity Park and adjacent hill. Note density of mature trees and natural slope which obscures the heritage buildings located on this elevated plane (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Figure 15. View looking towards the subject site across from Harvest Terrace. Note density of mature trees screening the view from this location (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Heritage Impact Statement | Harvest Terrace, West Perth | December 2020 29 Figure 16. View along Harvest Terrace with Parliament House on the right hand side. Note extent of mature trees and hill sloping up to the west which naturally conceals the site from view on this approach (Dar Studio, November 2020).

Figure 17. View looking towards the subject site across from Harvest Terrace at junction with Parliament Place. Note density of mature trees screening the view and the backdrop urban form of West Perth (Dar Studio, November 2020).