20193-Waca His
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Job No. 20193 WACA Ground Improvement Project Western Australian Cricket Association Grounds, East Perth Heritage Impact Statement Prepared for: Cox Architecture December 2020 ABN 91 277 671 706 1/315 Rokeby Road, Subiaco Western Australia 6008 Telephone 08 9381 1666 Facsimile 08 9381 1566 [email protected] www.griffithsarchitects.com.au Griffiths Architects is a leading architectural firm in Perth, Australia. Griffiths Architects was born out of a practice of which Philip Griffiths was a co-director for over 20 years. The company emerged from a desire to diversify the range of work covered by the practice, and to take a fresh approach to design. The practice undertakes commissions in architecture, heritage, urban, interior design, interpretation and heritage assessments. Griffiths Architects provides professional advice on a range of issues related to these areas of our discipline. The practice has won architectural, planning, and heritage awards for a wide range of projects located throughout the state. Griffiths Architects has a great depth of experience across numerous project types and delivers innovative solutions that embrace environmental responsibility with elegant and simple solutions. The projects are the product of working closely with clients, carefully assessing their expectations, and delivering high quality results. Cover: Looking south towards the Lillee-Marsh Stand. Griffiths Architects 2016. Revision History Date of this revision: 17 December 2020 Distribution Document Version Author Status Date HIS 01 Griffiths Architects Draft 14/12/2020 Cox Architecture HIS 02 Griffiths Architects Final 16/12/2020 Cox Architecture HIS 03 Griffiths Architects Final 17/12/2020 Cox Architecture Contents Introduction 2 Summary 3 Location 4 Heritage Listings 4 Background 6 Statement of Significance 17 Proposals 19 Impacts and Mitigation 22 Conclusion 27 References 28 Heritage Impact Statement | WACA Ground Improvement Project I December 2020 1 Introduction This Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) relates to proposed ground improvements to be undertaken at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) grounds in East Perth. The works involve the demolition of several existing improvements to accommodate the construction works. The construction works comprise a new WACA pavilion, playing field extensions, new community amenities and an external piazza to establish the WACA as a community destination with cricket and sport at its heart. Heritage advice was sought from Griffiths Architects in the early schematic design phase of the project, to provide heritage input to the project and identify any possible impacts, as outlined in the HIS. In 2016, Griffiths Architects prepared, Western Australian Cricket Association Grounds, Heritage Assessment for GHD on behalf of the WACA. The assessment concluded that; the place has mainly historic and social values and the only object that is of any longstanding heritage significance is the re-located manual scoreboard. It is both rare and part of the theatre of cricket when in use. On the basis of these values, it would be possible for the place to meet threshold for entry in the State Register, as only one State value needs to be met. The Heritage Council would prepare its own assessment and make its own judgement at some future time. If made available, HCWA might draw on the evidence provided in this assessment as part of its assessment. No formal assessment has been undertaken, but WACA ground was included in the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s (HCWA) database in 2003 as a place to be assessed. It is included in the City of Perth’s Municipal Heritage Inventory (MHI) and the MRA’s Heritage Inventory as a Category 3 level place. It was thought at that time that the MHI assessment was prepared, that heritage values attached to the place were mainly historic and social. At that time no values were attached to the physical fabric, but by their nature MHIs are a first pass. In this respect, the Griffiths Architect report of 2016 is a more useful document. Places in italics throughout the report are include in the State Register of Heritage Places. The WACA is located in the vicinity of the Queen’s Gardens (Heritage Place no 4572), Gloucester Park (Heritage Place no 021170) and the Western Australian Police Service Complex (Heritage Place no 02170) all of which are State Heritage list registered places. Trinity College does not appear to be picked up on any heritage registers. This HIS will use the statement of significance for the WACA Grounds from the Griffiths Architects report of 2016 and from their register entries of the above places to identify any possible impacts the proposed works will have on their heritage values, and determine if any mitigation is required. Heritage Impact Statement | WACA Ground Improvement Project I December 2020 2 Summary Based on the drawings provided and considering the heritage values of the adjacent heritage places, together with the values attributed to the WACA Grounds, this heritage impact statement demonstrates, that there are no significant heritage impacts on State Heritage values arising from the proposed developments at the WACA Grounds, As a result, no mitigation is required, and there is a potential for these works to provide positive impacts to social values, with the possible increase in visitation that these works may bring, being beneficial to the future of the WACA Ground. Heritage Impact Statement | WACA Ground Improvement Project I December 2020 3 Location WACA Grounds and Stands, Perth is located on the block of land bounded by Nelson Crescent to the north, which changes to Nelson Avenue, Braithwaite Street to the east, Hay Street to the south and Hale Street to the west. Beyond the roads that bound the grounds, are a public carpark to the north, Gloucester Park, harness racing sports ground complex to the north, Trinity College to the east, the WA Police Service Complex – an administrative and police complex to the south, and Queens Gardens - a public park is located to the west. N ELS ON CR ES CE NT H T A E L LOCATION OF E E R T S PROPOSED WORKS S T E HA R IT Y ST E A REE E W T T H IT A R B Figure 01: Aerial photograph of location, location of works shown red. Google Maps, Griffiths Architects 2020. Heritage Listings Heritage listings for Western Australian Cricket Association Grounds include the following: • City of Perth Draft Inventory 99-01 - 31 December 1999 • City of Perth Municipal Heritage Inventory - 13 March 2001 • DevelopmentWA (MRA) Central Perth Heritage Inventory Level 3 Place of Lesser Significance The WACA Ground but is included as a place to be assessed by HCWA as of 14 February 2003. Western Australian Police Service complex: • National Trust Classification - 8 July 2002 Heritage Impact Statement | WACA Ground Improvement Project I December 2020 4 • Stage Register of Heritage Places - Place no. 03048 - 14 February 2003 • City of Perth Municipal Heritage Inventory - 9 January 2004 Queens Gardens: • Register of the National Estate (Defunct) - 21 October 1980 • State Register of Heritage Places - Place no. 4572 - 29 June 1999 • National Trust Classification - 11 June 2001 • City of Perth Municipal Heritage Inventory - 26 June 2001 Gloucester Park include: • City of Perth Municipal Heritage Inventory - 31 March 2000 • State Register of Heritage Places - Place no. 02170 - 17 April 2003 Heritage Impact Statement | WACA Ground Improvement Project I December 2020 5 Background Documentary Evidence The following documentary evidence is comprised a simplified and summarized text drawn from documentary evidence completed by Eddie Marcus and Griffiths Architects within the WACA Heritage Assessment, dated September 2016. For the full documentary evidence, please refer to the original document in the Appendix. The amalgamation of the Perth and Union cricket clubs formed the Metropolitan Cricket Club (MCC) in 1878. This powerful new club was to revolutionise the sport in the State, since it was instrumental in forming the Western Australian Cricket Association. The officers of the MCC were ordered in October 1885 to “consider the question of forming a Cricketing Association, and to make their report upon the subject as soon as possible”. This was evidently achieved with some speed since a November meeting of the committees of the various cricket clubs in Perth, held at the United Service Hotel, unanimously passed the following resolution: “That it is desirable to form a Cricketing Association of the recognised Perth Clubs, subject to the Municipal Council’s letting an adequate portion of the Recreation Ground for the exclusive right of playing thereon by such Association”. The West Australian Cricketing Association was officially established on 25 November 1885, with John James becoming President on 14 January 1866. The four initial members were Perth CC, City Temperance CC, Metropolitan CC and Union CC. In June 1886, the Football and Cricket Associations of Perth passed a resolution pledging to obtain a ground for themselves, partly because of the playing conditions on the New Recreation Ground, but mostly because they were banned from charging admission there. Again there were concerns expressed that any site near the Causeway was too far distant from the town to be practical. It was not until late 1889 that land for the WACA Grounds & Stands was granted to the Association. On 19 December, a deputation from the WACA met with Governor Frederick Broome, just two days before he was due to go to London to request Responsible Government for the State. Evidently in no mood to waste time, Broome had the Commissioner of Crown Lands, John Forrest, draw up a 999- year lease for fourteen acres two roods of Perth Reserve A27, near the Causeway, to be used for cricketing purposes. The WACA Committee was satisfied with the nature of the soil, “a stiff red clay”, and announced that it would not take much expenditure to make it “one of the finest grounds in Australia”.