Approval given to demolish 1860s property once owned by early SA settlers

A stately 1860s Adelaide home will be knocked over and subdivided because it was given no heritage protection, which heritage supporters say is proof the system is broken.

The Mooringe Ave home, known as Moorfield, was built in the 1860s and is believed to be one of the first farm properties established in Adelaide.

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One of Adelaide’s oldest homes will be knocked over for subdivision because it has no heritage protection.

The planned demolition of the North Plympton property has enraged heritage advocates who believe the decision embodies everything that is wrong with the state’s planning system.

The Mooringe Ave home, known as Moorfield, built in the 1860s, is believed to be one of the first farm properties established in Adelaide.

It once belonged to the Bagshaw family who were early South Australian settlers and prominent businessmen in the 19th century.

The property was sold to GG Investments SA Pty Ltd for nearly $2 million in March – the only property the entity owns in South Australia.

West Torrens Council has approved an application from the owner to demolish the home and split the block on which it sits into six titles.

As it has no heritage protection, it required only council staff approval to be demolished on the basis of whether or not it was safe to do so.

The SA Heritage Council recently considered listing the home as a matter of urgency.

However, it found it did not meet the strict criteria for state heritage listing.

Architect and heritage expert Sandy Wilkinson said the property’s impending doom was “demonstrative of how little heritage properties are actually protected”.

The historic home in Plympton was built in the early days of Adelaide. Picture: Dean Martin

“Blind Freddy could see that it should be listed,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“The Bagshaws were one of the founding families of Adelaide. Certainly, it is of historical importance and on any observation the building is one of the highest calibre that anyone would expect to get heritage protection in some form.”

He expected the site would eventually be turned into units or townhouses, but the demolition should be a lightning rod for change to heritage provisions.

“It’s an opportunity (for the State Government) to do a lot of good for the state rather than do the bidding … of volume home-building companies who want to plonk their product in the nice, historic suburbs of Adelaide,” he said.

SA Heritage Council chairman Keith Conlon said while the property was not appropriate for state listing, it would have been more likely to achieve local heritage status.

He was “a bit surprised” that it had not been considered for local listing, but said people were discouraged from engaging with a “very slow and quite expensive” system.

Former Adelaide City councillor, Sandy Wilkinson, at the historic — but not heritage-protected — property in North Plympton. Picture: Dean Martin