PLANNING PANELS VICTORIA Boroondara Amendment C266 Heritage Overlay HO 700 Griffin Estate & Environs Precinct Subject site: 8 Chaucer Crescent Canterbury Expert Heritage Report Prepared for Max Findlay By Robyn Riddett Director Anthemion Consultancies POB18183 Collins Street East Melbourne 8003 Tel. +61 3 9495 6389 Email: [email protected] April 2018 8 Chaucer Crescent, Canterbury 1.0 Introduction 1. I have been asked by Max Findlay, the owner of the above property, to prepare a statement of expert evidence which addresses the heritage merits relating to the proposed grading of the above s as “Contributory” and its inclusion in a Heritage Overlay i.e. HO 700, Griffin Estate & Environs as a consequence of Amendment C266. Otherwise there is no objection to the application of the Heritage Overlay as proposed. 2. Amendment C264, gazetted on 8 February 2018, introduced interim Heritage Overlays to all affected properties in Canterbury, identified in the adopted Canterbury Heritage Gap Assessment and as recommended in Amendment C266. Amendment C264 has an expiry date of 30 November 2018. Amendment C266 seeks to introduce permanent Heritage Overlays as identified in the Canterbury Heritage Gap Study. 3. I understand that part of the proposed precinct i.e. Chaucer Crescent, was identified in the Draft Canterbury Heritage Gap Study and that a response to the preliminary consultation, Council recommended the “the merging of the Griffin Estate and Chaucer Crescent Precincts to create an expanded precinct known as the Griffin Estate & Environs Residential Precinct;” (Maddocks. Submission. P. 4.) 1.2 Reference Materials 4. I have read: Planning Panels Victoria. Guide to Expert Evidence. Victoria. Department of Environment. Land, Water and Planning. Applying the Heritage Overlay. Planning Practice Note 1. January, 2018. Context Pty Ltd. City of Boroondara. Municipal-wide Gap Study. Vol. 1 Canterbury. Expanded report, 25 May, 2017. Maddocks. Submission on behalf of the Planning Authority Amendment C266 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme Council’s submission: Part A. 5 April, 2015. 5. I have perused: City of Boroondara. Amendment C266 - Canterbury Heritage Gap Assessment https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/planning-building/planning-scheme-and- amendments/current-planning-scheme-amendments/amendment-c266-canterbury- heritage-gap-assessment (Accessed on 10 April, 2018 and other dates) 6. I have undertaken an inspection of the precinct on two occasions. 1.3 Qualifications and Expertise 7. I am a director of Anthemion Consultancies and am also an architectural historian, an interior designer and a heritage consultant. I am a graduate architect member of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, was a Deputy Chair of the Institute’s (Victorian Chapter) Heritage Committee and a member of the AIA Awards Jury in the Conservation Section for the years 2000-01. I was at Lovell Chen, architects and heritage consultants for approximately 18 years and most of that time as an associate director. Within that practice and presently my responsibilities include the co-ordination and preparation of conservation management plans, heritage assessments, preparation of expert evidence, development of site interpretation and the restoration of historic interiors. 8. I am also a Past President of Australia ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), previously the Secretary, of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Risk Anthemion Consultancies 1 8 Chaucer Crescent, PPV Statement of Evidence Canterbury Preparedness (ICORP) and presently the Treasurer; past Secretary-General of the ICOMOS Scientific Council; inaugural convenor of Blue Shield Australia and past member of the Board, and past Board member of Blue Shield (The Hague) and current Board member (Secretary) of AusHeritage. I am also a member of the Local Government Advisory Committee which is a committee of the Victorian Heritage Council. I have been a heritage adviser in Monash and Bayside and am presently a member of the Yarra Heritage Panel. In the past I have been a long-standing councillor of the National Trust of Australia (Vic.). 9. I have provided expert witness statements on similar matters on numerous occasions at Heritage Victoria, VCAT, the Building Appeals Board, independent panels and other similar forums on behalf of councils, objectors and developers. My Curriculum vitæ is appended. 1.3 Summary of Opinions 10. My primary focus has been on No. 8 Chaucer Crescent and its context and contribution to the precinct. 11. Overall the precinct citation is generally satisfactory in regard to the Victorian and Edwardian buildings but in my opinion it fails to identify adequately or substantiate the reasons as to why the inter-and post-War dwellings make a contribution to the historical and aesthetic significance of the precinct. 12. No. 8 Chaucer Crescent, it is located in part of the street where there is a diminished heritage presence compared with further to the east e.g. from the abutting ROW. It is visually and spatially separated from any Contributory building. 13. The precinct citation correctly notes that “The precinct is particularly rich in Edwardian-era architecture, built between 1903 and 1915”. By way of comparison, in relation to inter-War dwellings the only indication of their significance is outlined in the statement “The precinct was completed during the interwar years, when the remaining pockets in the precinct were developed”. However, there is nothing in the citation which indicates why buildings from the inter-and post-War eras are significant or sets out how they contribute other than filling in the precinct which is overwhelmingly of a different era. 14. While No. 8 Chaucer Crescent is quite visible and distinctively different from all of the dwellings in the precinct it is not a unique example of this type of dwelling. 15. After examining the precinct citation and undertaking a survey on two occasion I am unable to find any justification for the grading of Contributory for No. 8 Chaucer Crescent not can I find any supported reason as to exactly what its contribution to the precinct is beyond the fact that it exists and filled in the precinct. 2.0 My Response to the Proposed Grading of Contributory 2.1 Gradings and Definitions 16. I have considered the merits, or otherwise, of the proposed grading against several criteria which are discussed below. The relevant definitions to consider are: Contributory-‘Contributory’ heritage places contribute to the cultural heritage significance of a precinct. Contributory heritage places are not considered to be individually important places of State, municipal or local cultural heritage significance in their own right, however when combined with other ‘significant’ and/or ‘contributory’ heritage places, they play an integral role in demonstrating the cultural heritage significance of a precinct. Non-contributory-‘Non-contributory’ places are those within a heritage precinct that have no identifiable cultural heritage significance. They are included within a Heritage Overlay because any development of the Anthemion Consultancies 2 8 Chaucer Crescent, PPV Statement of Evidence Canterbury place may impact on the cultural heritage significance of the precinct or adjacent ‘significant’ or ‘contributory’ heritage places 2.2 Contribution of the inter-War Dwellings to the Cultural Heritage Significance of the Griffin Estate & Environs Precinct. Figure 1 Precinct gradings map included in the citation for the Griffin Estate & Environs precinct. 17. The precinct citation draws a distinction between Chaucer Crescent west of Marlowe Street and Chaucer Crescent west of Marlowe Street. In Chaucer Crescent, west of Marlowe Street there are 18 Contributory properties and 10 Non-contributory properties according to the precinct gradings map. 18. The following data highlights the salient points contained within the citation for the Griffin Estate and Environs insofar as Chaucer Crescent is concerned: Address Architectural Date of Other comments comments construction No. 1 Chaucer Building site Under construction Crescent No. 2 Chaucer Edwardian timber 1910 and 1915 Crescent Contributory No. 3/3AChaucer Single storey brick c. 1950s? Crescent with garage Anthemion Consultancies 3 8 Chaucer Crescent, PPV Statement of Evidence Canterbury No. 4 Chaucer Edwardian timber 1905-06 Another relatively Crescent early house is the wooden villa built by Contributory builder L R Griffin No. 5 Chaucer full transition to the 1918-19 (p. 54) Crescent California Bungalow style, with a cross- Contributory gabled roof featuring a wide and flat front gable, and an almost complete absence of applied ornament. Instead, visual interest relies on a variety of cladding materials (p. 62) No. 6 Chaucer Villa Units c. 1970s Crescent Not contributory No. 7 Chaucer Double-strorey brick c. 1970s Crescent dwelling Not contributory No. 8 Chaucer 1933 (p. 54) “Later development Crescent includes 8 Chaucer Crescent, built in Contributory 1933” “The Georgian Revival house of 1934 at 8 Chaucer Crescent. Note the herringbone brick pattern of the front fence”. (p. 62) “Another common house type of the late 1920s and early 1930s is Georgian Revival, with a dominant hipped roof, symmetrical façade and simple classical details. A fine example is seen at 8 Chaucer Crescent, with has Ionic columns supporting the central porch, and also retains an original low brick Anthemion Consultancies 4 8 Chaucer Crescent, PPV Statement of Evidence Canterbury front fence with a herringbone