No.2 Meares Street, Guildford Heritage Impact Statement

ARCHITECTURE + HERITAGE

No.2 Meares Street, GuildfordHeritage Impact Statement

Prepared for Michaela TrlinNovember 2021 | Job No: L21-028

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Issue Date Status Prepared by Distribution1 12 November 2021 Final Dar Studio City of Swan

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Heritage Impact Statement | No.2 Meares Street, Guildford | November 2021


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Contents

1. Introduction 41.1 Purpose 4

1.2 Methodology 4

1.3 Subject Site 4

1.4 References 5

1.5 Author 5

2. Background Information 62.1 Heritage Listing 6

2.2 Statement of Significance 6

2.3 Physical Description 8

2.4 Brief History 9

3. Proposal 16

4. Heritage Impact Assessment 17

5. Conclusion 21

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1. Introduction

1.1 PurposeThis Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) has been prepared to form part of a Development Application to

the City of Swan for a new two-storey dwelling at No.2 Meares Street, Guildford. The proposal also

involves demolition of an existing 1960s dwelling on the site. The property is located within the

curtilage of Guildford Historic Town, which is recognised as a place of cultural heritage significance

through inclusion on the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s State Register of Heritage Places. As

such, the development is considered significant by the City due to demolition of the existing dwelling,

even though it is not individually listed through inclusion on the City of Swan’s Heritage List or Local

Heritage Survey (Municipal Inventory).

1.2 MethodologyThis HIS has been prepared to examine the potential for impact of the proposal on the cultural heritage

values of the Guildford Historic Town, as expressed in the Statements of Significance contained in the

State Register of Heritage Places. The HIS has been prepared in accordance with the requirements set

out in the ‘Heritage Impact Statement - A Guide’, published by the Heritage Council of Western

Australia.

This assessment has been made against the following architectural drawings prepared by Craig Smith

Architect, dated August 2021:

• A00 revD | Site Plan

• A01 revD | Ground Floor Plan

• A02 revD | First Floor Plan

• A03 revD | Elevations

• A04 revD | Elevations

• A05 revD | Shed

1.3 Subject SiteThe subject site is located at No.2 Meares Street, Guildford, which is a short street running north-south

from Swan Street West to Victoria Street West, with the Swan River to the north of the street. Refer to

figure 1 for location plan.



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1.4 ReferencesFor this assessment, reference has also been made to the following:

• Heritage Council of Western Australia, State Register of Heritage Places: Assessment

Documentation for P2915 Guildford Historic Town.

• Site visit undertaken in November 2021 to assess the existing house and immediate context.

1.5 AuthorPreparation of this document has been undertaken by:

• Nisar Dar | Heritage Architect | BA(Hons) BArch | Arch Reg: 2988.

GSPublisherVersion 0.0.100.100

N

SUBJECT SITE

NO.2 MEARES STREET

VICTORIA STREET

ME

AR

ES

ST

RE

ET

SWAN STREET WEST

MARKET S

TREET

SWAN RIVER

Figure 1. Location plan of subject site (base aerial map by Landgate, 2021).

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2. Background Information

2.1 Heritage ListingNo.2 Meares Street is included in the following statutory heritage list:

• Heritage Council of Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places: Guildford Historic Town

(Place no: P2915), registered 02 July 2019.

2.2 Statement of SignificanceThe Heritage Council of Western Australia have prepared the following statement of significance taken

from their Registered Entry for Guildford Historic Town:

Guildford Historic Town, established in 1829 on the confluence of the Swan and Helena Rivers on Whadjuk Noongar land whose people maintain a continuing cultural connection to the place, and comprising a central church square and a grid street pattern lined with mature street trees, a core of civic and commercial buildings with surrounding residential areas, and river front lots primarily developed in the Colonial, Convict, Gold Boom and Federation eras through to the Inter-War period, all encircled by openly wooded undeveloped riverine floodplain, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

the highly authentic built fabric of the place illustrates at least five key periods in the State’s history, with simple Georgian buildings of the foundation of the Colony, brick public buildings of the Convict era, imposing and opulent buildings of the Gold Boom, and fine examples of residential and civic buildings of the Federation and Inter-War periods, all of which together form a cohesive precinct;

as one of three towns established in 1829 in the Swan River Colony, including the seaport (Fremantle) and the administrative centre (Perth), Guildford was central to the agricultural and horticultural development of the Colony, as the first (and only) inland port in Western Australia, providing an essential transport node, firstly by river and then by rail, linking the Colony’s seaport to the hinterland;

the place is an excellent representative example of a highly intact nineteenth-century town, designed on the regulated British colonial town planning model, that includes a purpose-designed public square containing the town’s main church, and which retains its original grid street layout aligned to cardinal points and its public reserves;



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the place contains remnant long, narrow ribbon grants perpendicular to the banks of the Swan and Helena Rivers which are tangible evidence of agricultural land allocation envisioned by the founders of the Swan River Colony to provide each settler with access to water and the richer alluvial soils;

the town plan of the place is notable for incorporating one of the earliest purpose-designed public squares in Australia, and is rare for remaining clearly evident;

the place is unique in the metropolitan area for retaining a strong sense of being a distinct town, separate from the surrounding suburbs, as a result of its encirclement by the openly wooded, undeveloped riverine floodplain along the banks of the Swan and Helena Rivers;

much of the place’s character derives from its highly picturesque combination of low scale residential areas that have remained largely unchanged since the Inter-War period, and the variations between the wide streets with large lots, many with mature street trees and a variety of housing types from simple Colonial era cottages to the grander homes of the Gold Boom and Federation eras, and the narrower highly uniform streets of small- scale cottages on smaller lots;

the place has a high degree of potential to reveal archaeological evidence relating to the history and occupation of the area from its foundation to the early twentieth century, most notably for the early settlement period;

the place retains many original plantings, including a large number of mature Sugar Gums that were planted throughout Guildford from the late 1890s to early 1900s as part of a tree planting program, many of which comprise formal avenues;

the place is associated with many significant individuals, including Government officials, early pioneers and merchants, and well renowned Government and private architects; and,

the place is highly valued by the local and wider community, including the Whadjuk Noongar people who know it as Mandoon, and who maintain a continuing cultural connection to the place, members of the Swan Guildford Historical Society as evidenced by their work since 1962, and members of the Guildford Association since 1975, both of which were formed to preserve the history and character of the area, and by the classification of the place by the National Trust of Australia in 1984.

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2.3 Physical Description

Site and Setting

The following has been extracted from the Physical Description section of the State Register of

Heritage Places Assessment Documentation for Guildford Historic Town:

Meares Street is a short street running north-south from Swan Street West to Victoria Street West, with

the riverine floodplain and the Swan River to the north of the street. There is one double-storey late

twentieth-century dwelling on the western side of the street, and four houses on the east including a

unified row of three Inter-War timber, compressed fibre panel cottages with tiled roofs, displaying

characteristics of California Bungalow style at nos 6, 4, and 8.

Meares Street is narrow, with wide grassed verges and substantial verge trees on the western side of

the street giving it an open, rustic feel. The houses on the eastern side do not have front fences, whilst

the fences on the western side have rear and side fences in a variety of materials.

External

The existing property at No.2 Meares Street is a single-storey residence of brickwork masonry

construction with concrete tile roof of hipped profile configuration. It is of modest scale displaying no

features of any architectural note. The house is L-shaped in plan with a deep setback from the street

with front lawn, drive and ancillary carport structure. The roof overhangs to the front of the property to

form an under cover porch area. External walls are of buff colour brick in stretcher bond profile with

brickwork below floor level picked out in a dark grey colour. There is evidence of a suspended timber

floor construction internally, with sub-floor air vents below floor level. Bargeboards and fascias are

painted timber with overhanging eaves of exposed painted timber rafters. Rainwater goods consist of

steel quad profile gutters and circular steel down pipes. There are solar panels installed to the front

roof (west) and there is a tall chimney with flue to the north. Windows are of aluminium frame of varying

sizes. The rear of the property has a small verandah structure recessed into the roof configuration.

There is a brick paved yard and shed to the rear with a garden of various trees and plants extending

east towards to the boundary. From visual inspection, the house appears to be in a fair to poor

condition.

Internal

The property is a compact three bedroom and one bathroom house. Living areas consist of kitchen,

dining, living room and laundry. Circulation is via a hallway and small corridor to access the various

rooms. Finishes and fittings are characteristic of the age of the property, which typically include

plastered walls and ceilings, vinyl, tile and carpet floor finishes, and dark coloured joinery.



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Note: No internal access was available at the date of the site visit.

2.4 Brief HistoryThe following has been prepared by Clare Menck (Historian), dated August 2021:

Meares Street is marked as an updated pencil amendment to an 1842 map of Guildford, and by 1849

had been implemented. It was created by excising the eastern portion of the as-yet un-numbered

triangular lot along the east of Market Street, which by the 1870s was identified as 76A, and then 183.

Meares Street, was planned to go through to the river, and land for this length of road remains set

aside to this day, but it does not appear a roadway was ever developed north of Swan Street.

The subject property was built in 1966 and appears to be the only house historically constructed on

the site. Although imagery is unclear, aerial photography since this time notes no significant alterations

or extensions apart from the car port extension to the front, which appears to have been built in the

early 2000s. The existing outbuilding shed to the rear garden appears to have been built at the same

time as the house.

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Figure 2. View looking north along Meares Street. Note subject property obscured from view (DAR Studio, November 2021).

Figure 3. View looking south along Meares Street. Note subject property obscured from view (DAR Studio, November 2021).



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Figure 4. Steet view of subject property with adjacent houses either side (DAR Studio, November 2021).

Figure 5. Front view (west elevation) of subject property (DAR Studio, November 2021).

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Figure 6. Rear view (east elevation) of subject property (DAR Studio, November 2021).

Figure 7. Partial side view (north elevation) of subject property looking west along drive (DAR Studio, November 2021).



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Figure 8. Garden to rear of subject property with shed and mature tree (DAR Studio, November 2021).

Figure 9. Garden to rear of subject property (DAR Studio, November 2021).

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Figure 10. Internal view of bedroom (Professionals Wellstead Team, March 2020).

Figure 11. Internal view of living room (Professionals Wellstead Team, March 2020).



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Figure 12. Internal view of kitchen (Professionals Wellstead Team, March 2020).

Figure 13. Internal view of bedroom (Professionals Wellstead Team, March 2020).

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3. Proposal

The proposal involves demolition of the existing house on the site and the construction of a new

contemporary three bedroom family home with garage and outdoor amenity areas. The new house is a

combination of single and double-storey forms with gable ends set out along the narrow east-west

orientated block. The proposed wall materials are a composition of red face brick and standing seam

cladding. Roofs are pitched in standing seam cladding with pergola and terrace structures in timber

frame. The layout of the house focuses on the length of the block that places the main footprint along

the southern boundary to capture the northern sun and access natural light, which also aids cross-

ventilation. Amenity and function are embedded in the design so the house can adapt and respond to

the changing needs of family life.

The main entry to the proposed house is from the front porch facing the street that leads to a hall and

office on immediate arrival. A gallery space used for circulation with lots of natural light then leads

eastwards to a ground floor bedroom and laundry. From here, the floor plan leads to the main open

plan living areas with aspect to a garden to the east and outdoor terrace to the north. A staircase,

positioned roughly central to the plan leads to first floor level, which accommodates two bedrooms,

WC, bathroom and activities area. The circulation to these areas is to the south, which allows bedroom

windows to be orientated to the north.

The front street boundary is marked with masonry piers with infill fence and gates, with a small garden

behind making up the setback to the house. A double garage is also positioned to the front with a

pergola and driveway. Access at the rear of the garage leads to the outdoor areas and also internally

to the house. A proposed pool, shed and drying area makes up land towards the east boundary.



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4. Heritage Impact Assessment

The following tables provide an assessment of the heritage impact of the proposal on the cultural

heritage values of the place outlined in the Statement of Significance for Guildford Historic Town.

Heritage Values Potential Heritage Impact Mitigation of Heritage Impact

The highly authentic built fabric

of the place illustrates at least

five key periods in the State’s

history, with simple Georgian

buildings of the foundation of

the Colony, brick public

buildings of the Convict era,

imposing and opulent buildings

of the Gold Boom, and fine

examples of residential and

civic buildings of the Federation

and Inter-War periods, all of

which together form a cohesive

precinct.

Neutral / No Discernible Impact

The subject property is a 1960s

dwelling considered to be of no

architectural note that would be

characteristic of the five key

periods in the State’s history. As

such, it does not contribute to

the cohesive precinct, with its

demolition having no impact to

this value. The replacement

new dwelling is considered to

be a sympathetic contemporary

addition that would have no

more or less of an impact to

what currently exists on the site.

None.

As one of three towns

established in 1829 in the Swan

River Colony, including the

seaport (Fremantle) and the

administrative centre (Perth),

Guildford was central to the

agricultural and horticultural

development of the Colony, as

the first (and only) inland port in

Western Australia, providing an

essential transport node, firstly

by river and then by rail, linking

the Colony’s seaport to the

hinterland.


These are historic values

concerning the development of

Guildford, which will not be

impacted on by the proposal.

None.

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The place is an excellent

representative example of a

highly intact nineteenth-century

town, designed on the

regulated British colonial town

planning model, that includes a

purpose-designed public

square containing the town’s

main church, and which retains

its original grid street layout

aligned to cardinal points and

its public reserves.


The proposal is contained

within the existing lot, and as

such does not impact on the

physical qualities of the British

colonial town planning model.

The street layout and public

reserve are all retained and

unaltered.

None.

The place contains remnant

long, narrow ribbon grants

perpendicular to the banks of

the Swan and Helena Rivers

which are tangible evidence of

agricultural land allocation

envisioned by the founders of

the Swan River Colony to

provide each settler with access

to water and the richer alluvial

soils.




such does not impact on this

heritage value. The remnant

ribbon grants are all retained

and unaltered.

None.

The town plan of the place is

notable for incorporating one of

the earliest purpose-designed

public squares in Australia, and

is rare for remaining clearly

evident.





heritage value. The public

square is retained and

unaltered.

None.

The place is unique in the

metropolitan area for retaining a

strong sense of being a distinct

town, separate from the

surrounding suburbs, as a

result of its encirclement by the

openly wooded, undeveloped

riverine floodplain along the

banks of the Swan and Helena

Rivers.





heritage value. The riverine

floodplain is retained and

unaltered.

None.



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Much of the place’s character

derives from its highly

picturesque combination of low

scale residential areas that have

remained largely unchanged

since the Inter-War period, and

the variations between the wide

streets with large lots, many

with mature street trees and a

variety of housing types from

simple Colonial era cottages to

the grander homes of the Gold

Boom and Federation eras, and

the narrower highly uniform

streets of small- scale cottages

on smaller lots.

Minor Impact

With the proposal being partially

two-storey in lieu of the current

single-storey house, this will

have a minor impact on the

change of built presence to the

site due to the increase in

height. However, the proposal is

still considered to be modest in

scale and in overall keeping

with the built form and scale of

the town. The site will still

contribute to the streetscape,

and complement the existing

surroundings of large verges,

mature trees, and the low

residential character of the area.

The level of impact is

considered acceptable.

The design of the new dwelling

helps to mitigate this impact

through maintaining a setback

to the street boundary, and the

two-storey component being

setback even further. The

two-storey component is also

orientated along its length on an

east-west axis that also helps

to mitigate impact to the street.

In addition, the combination of

roof forms, change in height

and materiality, generally all help

to reduce the scale and mass

of the proposal as a whole.

The place has a high degree of

potential to reveal

archaeological evidence relating

to the history and occupation of

the area from its foundation to

the early twentieth century,

most notably for the early

settlement period.

Minor Impact

With the site previously being

developed, the impact on this

value is considered very low.

If any notable archaeological

artefacts are discovered during

the works, it is recommended

that these are reported to the

City of Swan for their

assessment to determine any

further action.

The place retains many original

plantings, including a large

number of mature Sugar Gums

that were planted throughout

Guildford from the late 1890s to

early 1900s as part of a tree

planting program, many of

which comprise formal

avenues.


These are no significant

plantings being removed as part

of this proposal, and as such

will have no impact on this

heritage value.

None.

The place is associated with

many significant individuals,

including Government officials,

early pioneers and merchants,

and well renowned Government

and private architects.


These are historic values which

will not be impacted by the

proposal.

None.

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The place is highly valued by

the local and wider community,

including the Whadjuk Noongar

people who know it as

Mandoon, and who maintain a

continuing cultural connection

to the place, members of the

Swan Guildford Historical

Society as evidenced by their

work since 1962, and members

of the Guildford Association

since 1975, both of which were

formed to preserve the history

and character of the area, and

by the classification of the place

by the National Trust of

Australia in 1984.


The proposal does not impact

on the ability for the local and

wider community to appreciate

the broader cultural heritage

values of the town.

None.



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5. Conclusion

This assessment concludes that the proposal will potentially have a very minor level of heritage impact

on the cultural heritage values of Guildford Historic Town’s characteristic of being a highly picturesque

combination of low scale residential areas. There are no impacts on the place’s historic values, and

due to the proposal being contained within an existing residential lot, there will be no impact on the

wider tangible heritage values of the town.

Through a considered design approach of modest intervention to its context, the potential impact of

the proposal is considered acceptable. The existing dwelling on the site is deemed to be of no heritage

value, and as such its demolition is of no discernible impact. The increase in built form of the

replacement dwelling is considered to be adequately mitigated through setbacks, materiality, and

composition of its built form. Although the proposal is higher in parts to what currently exists, it is not

too dissimilar to the scale of adjacent properties that are in close proximity. The new house will

continue to have a street presence that complements, and does not detract from the overall character

of the area.

No.2 Meares Street, Guildford Heritage Impact Statement

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