State decides fate of 120-year-old Mt Lawley heritage-listed home amid significant affordable housing push

The fate of a more than century-old heritage home on Guildford Road has been decided, with a State planning body approving its demolition to make way for a 90-dwelling social housing project for over 55-year-olds.

Despite the City of Vincent formally recommending the project be refused, the WA Planning Commission approved the plans at its meeting on March 18.

The site at 40 Guildford Road in Mt Lawley currently has a single-storey dwelling which developers describe in “very poor” condition both externally and internally.

The Federation Arts and Crafts dwelling, built circa 1905, is currently in a “severe state of disrepair”, with collapsing walls and extensive graffiti inside and outside.

The city refused a request from the State Administrative Tribunal for it to reconsider its rejection of the demolition plans.

The site was put on the city’s municipal heritage inventory in 2008 and has a category 3 local heritage listing.

The City of Vincent had accused the State, which owns the property, of “demolition by neglect” and issued a heritage conservation notice to force repairs.

The latest application included repurposing the building’s materials — such as bricks and chimneys — into a communal heritage garden.

The city received 40 submissions when the proposal was released for comment last October; 27 were objections, three in support, and 10 provided comment only.

Key concerns raised by the public were traffic and pedestrian safety, parking shortfalls, built form and character, and loss of heritage.

A transport impact statement concluded the site would generate only an additional 22 trips during the morning peak and 18 trips during the afternoon peak.

In 2009 the city approved the demolition of properties surrounding the site, including a corner shop and eight single-house dwellings, to allow for road widening, but as this site was heritage-listed it was not included in the approval.

The site is about 2.5km north-east of the Perth central business district. It is within 350m of the Mt Lawley train station to the north and within 600m of East Perth train station to the south.