SAVE WILLIAMSTOWN
SAVE WILLIAMSTOWN
Heritage Council says no State Registration for Oriental Pre Separation Heritage 1850-1851 Building
Historic Williamstown pub to be demolished, found to have 'no state heritage value'
The Age
Alana Schetzer
November 8, 2014 - 12:45AM
“Australia's oldest three-storey pub is to be demolished after a government department declared it held no heritage significance at state level.
The 19th-century Oriental Hotel in Williamstown has been the focus of a community-led campaign for the past 12 months to save it from the wrecking ball. An appeal to the Heritage Council of Victoria failed, with experts finding it was of local but not state significance.
It followed a decision by the state's planning tribunal almost 12 months ago to grant a permit for the pre-Victorian building's demolition, citing its poor condition.
The Heritage Council of Victoria committee found the pub, which was built in the 1850s, did not meet any of the criteria for state significance
regarding its historical or architectural features.
"The three-storey building has undergone numerous alterations which changed or removed significant architectural detail," the committee said in its decision.
The building is registered on Hobsons Bay Heritage Overlay.
Save Williamstown spokesman Godfrey Moase said the decision was "tragic" and vowed to pursue any legal avenues left to save the The Oriental.
"For a good period of time in the early days of settlement, it was the tallest building in Melbourne," he said. "People would come and watch ships coming in from the bay.
"These buildings get knocked down because they can make money. What's happening is criminal."
The building is owned by Evolve Development, co-owned by former Fairfax chairman Ron Walker. The company plans to build a six-storey, 83-dwelling apartment complex.......”
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Saturday, 8 November 2014