State politicians lobbied to protect contributory heritage items from being razed

SA’s peak residents group has called for extra heritage protection to stop as many as 12,000 homes being razed but the development sector has lashed the idea as a “knee jerk reaction”.

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The president of the state’s peak community group has called on state parliamentarians to protect some 12,000 heritage places from possible demolition.

Tom Matthews – whose group, Community Alliance SA, represents 25 community and residents groups – has written to every state politician asking for wholesale protection of contributory heritage items.

But one of the state’s biggest development groups has described the proposal as a “knee-jerk reaction”.

Contributory heritage places, of which there are about 12,000 across Adelaide, are defined as surviving examples of a particular style of development which adds to the historical and architectural character of an area.

Demolition of two bluestone cottages on Hutt St, which were sacrificed to make way for an apartment tower that has since been shelved. Picture: Sandy Wilkinson

However, they are afforded no extra protection under the Development Act.

In his letter, Mr Matthews said the contributory items added “to our urban streetscapes enabling a pleasant relaxing feel in our suburbs”.

“This is the healthy Adelaide lifestyle we love, so let’s keep it that way,” Mr Matthews wrote.

“People in South Australia buy houses in our older suburbs for a number of reasons that include a quiet neighbourhood, pleasant streetscapes with trees and older houses of different designs and interesting front gardens.

“Adelaide developers want to tear down the older heritage homes in our older suburbs and replace them with new homes.”

Property Council executive director Daniel Gannon. Picture: Stephen Laffer

He claimed those new homes devalued older properties surrounding them and called for all contributory items to be protected from demolition.

Property Council of SA executive director Daniel Gannon lashed the idea of stopping contributory properties from being redeveloped.

“This seems like another knee-jerk reaction from an interest group that wants to see SA handcuffed to the past, rather than creating a new future,” Mr Gannon said.

“The development sector doesn’t want to see Adelaide’s heritage and character buildings lost forever but we do want to see a sensible conversation about the state’s heritage and what future architecture and development looks like.”

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