Windsor Theatre remains under threat — ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching!
It may not be your local cinema or in your local area, but what is happening in Nedlands may well occur in other areas, thanks to major changes to zoning by the WAPC. The developers are lining up. Ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching!
There is little news on the fate of the Windsor Theatre in Nedlands. Our submission, with other leading heritage and history experts, expressing concern that the Heritage Council had determined that the Windsor did not merit State Heritage listing, went to the Heritage Council in December, with a copy to the Minister. The Heritage Council met on Friday 22 January 2021, but we have no knowledge of its response to our submission, which recommended that it.
Undertake an independent review of the heritage assessment of the Windsor Theatre.
Re-establish the Register Committee to provide expert advice and peer review of all heritage assessments prior to presentation to the Heritage Council.
Adopt the same level of transparency and accountability in decision making as required by Local Governments and their committees.
Update the Heritage Council’s invitation for stakeholder comment to avoid any future misinterpretation.
We understand that the Minister has written to the City of Nedlands, requesting reconsideration of the Windsor’s heritage value. At present, the only places on the City’s Local Heritage Register are those already on the State Register. For many years the majority of councillors have believed strongly that individual property rights trump any notion of the community’s right to its heritage. Having read a brief report of our submission, one Councillor blasted it, writing to the Post (30 Jan 2021);
‘In my view the Windsor Theatre is a large shed of steel, brick and fibro, hidden behind a colourful facade that is a mixture of necessary functional adjustments and aesthetics, but truly representative of nothing in particular. Its main function as a gathering place for groups of people to watch movies has a short life expectancy, perhaps a decade…. This family service business could be financially devastated by a heritage listing.’
Does that leave the way open for the Windsor to be demolished? It would be necessary for the owner to obtain a demolition order from the City of Nedlands, but he states that he has no intention of demolishing it at present and has recently made some improvements to the interior. In the long term however, it has always been his plan to capitalise on the site. And the site is rapidly increasing in value.
As a result of new high-rise zoning along Stirling Highway imposed by the WA Planning Commission and long-term Main Roads plans to widen the highway, development signs have been popping up along the highway. Opposite the Windsor is the Chellingworth car site, where a Victorian developer has proposed a 4 tower 26 storey complex. As The Post newspaper has revealed (30 Jan 2021), that was rejected and they have now very slightly modified their plans and applied to build a 3 tower 24 storey complex. Main Roads says it has no objection, providing its road widening plans aren’t affected. The City of Nedlands has rejected the amended plans on the grounds that the building was too bulky, lacked dedicated visitor parking, and would cause rat-running on surrounding streets. One councillor likened the design to ‘an eight-year-old’s school project…like three shoe boxes standing on their end’. Nevertheless, the proposal will now go to a Department of Planning DAP (Development Assessment Panel) for assessment.
Jenny Gregory