Frequently asked questions

No. The buildings are not considered safe for the public to access at this time. City officers have undertaken a site visit and a number of photos are available for viewing in the photo library.

Place is a term that is defined under the Heritage Act 2018. The term ‘place’ is used as it can cover various heritage things including archaeological remains; buildings, structures, and their surrounds; equipment, furniture, fittings and other objects; gardens and man-made parks or sites; and a tree or group of trees.

The statement of significance included in the place’s record in the Local Heritage Inventory outlines the reasons that a place is considered to be significant. Memorial Church of St Martin in the Field and Durbridge Hall’s statement of significance is as follows.

• The church and hall have aesthetic value for their demonstration of the form and detail of the Inter War Gothic and Post War Ecclesiastical styles. Internal details that remain from the original construction are likely to reflect these styles
• The place has historic value for its association with the establishment and development of Kensington in the Inter War and Post World War Two periods
• The place has historic value for its association with prominent individuals in the history of Kensington and the Anglican Church
• The place has social value for the members of the Kensington and wider communities who have attended the venue for social and spiritual purposes since 1933.

The place was added to the Local Heritage Inventory and Heritage List in 2018 as part of the City’s most recent heritage review. 

The following criteria as defined under the Australia ICOMOS Charter of Places of Cultural Significance 2013 – Burra Charter are given consideration when determining if a place has cultural significance 

(i) Aesthetic value - importance due to aesthetic characteristics, creative design, artistic excellence, innovation or achievement, or landmark qualities which might or might not contribute positively to streetscape character or be important as part of a group of buildings or wider area.

(ii) Historic value - importance in illustrating the pattern of human occupation of the locality; importance in relation to an event or period of historic importance; close association of the place with an individual or family whose life, works or activities have been significant to the City; or as an example of technical, creative, design or artistic excellence in a particular period.

(iii) Scientific value - importance in contributing to knowledge through use of the site for research or education; or in demonstrating a high degree of technical innovation or achievement in its function or construction.

(iv) Social value - importance as a place highly valued by a cultural group or the wider community for reasons of social, cultural, religious, spiritual, aesthetic or educational association which contribute to a community’s sense of place.

(v) Rarity value - importance of a place for rare, endangered or uncommon structures, landscapes or aspects relating to a distinctive way of life, custom, process, land-use, function or design no longer practised in the City, or in danger of being lost from, or of exceptional interest to, the City.

(vi) Representativeness value - importance of a place in demonstrating attributes or characteristics of a particular type of building, way of life, philosophy, custom, process, land-use, function, design or technique, currently or formerly commonly found within the City.

In addition, to assist in determining the level of significance, and therefore its management category, the following factors will are also taken into account:

• physical condition
• integrity (whether the place’s original function/use is clear)
• authenticity (the level of original fabric that remains).

In 2012 the City received notice from the State Heritage Office stating that this place had been nominated to the Heritage Council of Western Australia for assessment to be included on the State Heritage Register. This nomination was assessed by the Register Committee and it was determined that the place is likely to have cultural heritage value and warranted further assessment. 

Based on this information the place was included as part of the City’s 2018 review of the Local Heritage Inventory and was subsequently added to the Inventory and Heritage List.  

In August 2021 the City was advised by the State Heritage Office that while the place may have some cultural heritage significance, it is unlikely to have the cultural heritage significance required to meet the condition for entry in the State Register. Due to not meeting the minimum thresholds, the place has been removed from the Heritage Council’s Assessment Program and will not be included on the State Heritage Register. 

The City of South Perth Council makes the final determination.

The City is currently considering a proposal to demolish the buildings on the site. If the City of South Perth Council resolves to remove the place from the Heritage List, it is likely that the proposal to demolish the buildings will also be supported. 

Advertising was undertaken between 2 July and 5 August 2021 on the proposal to demolish the buildings on the site. This proposal could not be determined while the place was still on the Heritage List. Therefore, the City is now undertaking a separate process to consider the request to lower the management category of the place and remove it from the Heritage List. 

No. The buildings on the site were deconsecrated and secularised by the Archbishop of Perth on 29 March 2020. The buildings have been vacant since this time. 

Although it is possible to repurpose the existing buildings, a structural report by Quoin Consulting on the property provided by the applicant concluded the following: 

“The existing buildings on the site are of mixed construction, of different ages and in varying conditions. The benefits of retaining them for heritage reasons is outweighed by the cost of upgrading them to meet current codes and the potential for future issues with the properties that would be undesirable to future owners. Demolition and construction of new buildings would be a more economic approach, using a design that is sympathetic to the original by using similar materials in the construction.”

The following table describes the different management categories and the desired outcomes for each category:

A Local Heritage Inventory (LHI) is a record of all those places that a local government has identified as having cultural heritage significance. The LHI does not have any statutory role and cannot be used to protect a building from demolition or alteration. This function is served by the Heritage List which is a planning document. Places that are included on the Heritage List require approval from the local government prior to any works being undertaken including alterations, additions and demolition. 

In the City of South Perth, those place with a Management Category of ‘A’ or ‘B’ in the City’s LHI make up the City’s Heritage List.

A heritage report prepared for the City by Hocking Heritage and Architecture concluded that based on new information provided by the owners, including a heritage assessment prepared by Griffiths Architects and a structural report prepared by Quoin Consulting, the two buildings demonstrate sufficient heritage value to be assessed as a Management Category C place. This assessment considers recent changes to the place such as it being deconsecrated as a church and the structural report that identified a number of building defects. 

Elberton Property 7 Pty Ltd.

If the place has its Management Category lowered to either Management Category C or  Management Category D and is therefore removed from the Heritage List, the buildings may be demolished (subject to receiving the necessary permits). 

Based on the current zoning and land area it would be possible to build 4 x two-storey dwellings.

The City currently has not received any application for the construction of new dwellings.

• Ask us a question and we’ll either answer here on the project page, or we’ll email you directly
• Attend the drop-in session anytime between 4.30 and 6pm onsite at 50 Dyson Street on Wednesday 27 October 2021
• Email the City at enquiries@southperth.wa.gov.au or phone 9474 0777 to speak to the project team. Appointments are available face-to-face, by phone or online.

• Complete a feedback form online
• Hard copy feedback forms are available at the South Perth Civic Centre and South Perth and Manning libraries.

Feedback closes at 4pm, Wednesday 10 November 2022.