One of Australia’s most important heritage complexes faces destruction through governmental muddle and neglect. Unrealistic plans have cost thousands of dollars and decades of time, and still no viable plan is evident, with historic buildings being allowed to deteriorate and opportunities for revenue and heritage growth missed or screwed-up. Point Cook is the only National Heritage Site remaining in Defence control and it seems clear Defence does not have the focus or resources to maintain it. A 2004 plan for a national museum site was stymied and instead a Defence ‘Working Base’ proposal has been developed, again neglecting and compromising the site’s historic resources and allocating the location for an essentially hypothetical possible future use while preventing urgent, multi-stakeholder current uses. Mark Pilkington goes into the detail.
Defence’s recent Heritage Conservation Management Plan (HCMP*) is long overdue, a symptom of the lack of priority for Point Cook, and is simply the latest in successive plans and strategies for its preservation and future use dating back over the last 30 years, and all “not implemented” due to waiting for yet “another” report. However it is an important stage in trying to ensure Defence and the government start caring properly for the heritage buildings at Point Cook. It also highlights the weaknesses in the current intended “working base” master plan, which actually threatens the survival of many historic buildings.
The HCMP identifies that “The primary risk to the Heritage Values at Point Cook is through disuse, leading to lack of maintenance, and repairs, consequently resulting in deterioration of building fabric. Unused buildings quickly deteriorate.... results in buildings that are unsafe for use, unfit for purpose, and unattractive as restoration projects, often resulting in demolition as the most viable solution.” [On page 6 in clauses 2.3.1 Maintenance. Author’s emphasis.]
The report notes that 60% of the base is currently unoccupied, and that if those buildings remain empty they will not be maintained, and suffer eventual demolition. The current “working base” strategy removes all civilian aviation to the north of the base, removing any ability for civilian use of the heritage buildings (other than the pre-school and State school).
The planning principles announced by Government in late 2007 for Point Cook required “opportunities for civilians to have continued use of the airfield, with the possibility of other areas of the site also being made available to support these aviation uses.”
WAITING FOR THE SPOOKS
However despite an extensive land use strategy developed in 2003, the current Defence Master plan limits use of most of the base and precincts to “Defence” use.
Defence is currently limiting public access to most of the base other than the RAAF Museum, and is seeking to totally close off public access to the most significant historic part of the base, the Southern Tarmac, previously used by civil aviation and the flying club. This is assumed “to set it aside to support military flying operations when required, particularly as a contingency to support national security requirements. Such operations would be accommodated as required”, yet such operations are very few and far between, and temporary closure is a viable alternative to permanent closure for occasional use. Defence has installed a massive security fence and gate across the ‘Burma Road’ to close off public access to the Southern Tarmac, and is removing the remaining civil tenants. In fact Defence is limiting future civil use of the airfield to a patch of vacant land on the northern area of the base.
OFFICIAL FAILURE TO PROTECT & USE
In 2008 a wind storm blew the roof cladding off the 1922 Motor Transport Garage (building 90). Now without any protection to its exposed internal timber structure it faces uncertainty as to Defence’s intentions to repair or demolish, yet it is listed as being of “High Significance” on page 27 of the HCMP. A letter from the office of Parliamentary Secretary Dr Mike Kelly in November 2009 advised that “a base redevelopment project is currently proposed for delivery in 2013-15, which will address a number of underlying maintenance priorities … however not all buildings will be restored and no commitment can be made to building P90.” It’s clear that in its current exposed condition, building 90 will almost certainly not be in a fit state to restore in another three - five years when such funding ‘might’ become available.
This contrasts with a letter of July 2009 from the Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts, who administer the National Heritage List and EPBC Act, who advised that “The National Heritage management principles and Commonwealth Heritage management principles oblige Defence to protect and conserve heritage values, including ensuring the damage to Building 90 is not being exacerbated by neglecting protection from the elements. The compliance area of DEWHA will be making contact with Defence in respect to this issue.”
Hangarage and undercover storage is a valuable commodity on the base. Of the 4 Bellman Hangars on the Southern Tarmac, 2 are rare examples of the originals sent out from the UK. (All others in Australia are locally made.) However it is not recognised at all in the HCMP and they are considered of “moderate significance” and “demolition considered appropriate” [Page 27]. Yet with little refurbishment they could use again by civilian aviation interests. In 2006 all long term tenants of the Bellman Hangars were evicted, and since that time the Hangars have remained unused and vacant. Defence has therefore foregone a $50,000 annual income, which over four years could have generated $200k to fund ongoing refurbishment of the buildings.
HISTORIC PIER WITH NO FUTURE
An important heritage issue is the WW1 seaplane jetty leading from the Southern Tarmac, axis of the first around Australia flight. Rightly it is recognised in this report as being of “Exceptional Significance”, and recommending investment of funding to preserve it for use by “relevant user groups” [page 26] yet Defence has done no preventative maintenance on the jetty for years, and it’s highly unlikely that any funding will be provided to maintain it as there is no “Defence” use for the jetty.
It is therefore clear many of the historic buildings on the base, particularly on the Southern Tarmac, will be left un-utilised due to lack of access for civilian use, and therefore targeted by Defence for demolition, being allowed to fall into disrepair, and through neglect to become unsafe.
FLAWED PLANS & INAPPROPRIATE SECURITY
The current Defence layout and implementation of the “working heritage base” is creating great risk to the ongoing preservation of the historic buildings on site. There needs to be a re-think of the Master Plan in light of the National Heritage Listing and in compliance with the Government’s direction in its underlying planning principles of 2007 for “the future use and management of RAAF Base Point Cook (including the location of Defence functions and activities) is to be cognisant of, and facilitate, public access and use.”
This is best achieved by permitting civil aviation use and access to the Southern Tarmac, and redesigning the public access via the Western Gate, and concentrate sensitive and secure Defence activities into the Northern precinct with appropriate entry and fencing security as originally proposed in the 2003 Strategic Plan.
The HCMP identifies that increased security is being required across Defence bases and that the current museum access may be limited in the future due to heightened security restrictions [2.3.4 Security]. With over 100,000 public visitors annually to the RAAF Museum, civil flying training on the airfield, uncontrolled public access on the foreshore and fishing and recreational boats with unrestricted approaches to the Southern Tarmac, Point Cook is not the appropriate place for Defence to conduct airfield defence training, or indeed its “Urban Operations Training”.
ALTERNATIVES EXIST
Given the availability of the existing Laverton site, with its high security, rail and freeway access for Defence staff, it remains the better site for ongoing operational and secure defence activities, as per the Barry Jones report of 1992. Currently, this issue is even more important given the foiled terrorist attacks on Holsworthy Army base.
In fact funding of the Point Cook “working base” strategy relies on rationalising other Melbourne Defence establishments including Laverton, however the Defence Minister Senator Faulkner has recently rejected those ‘Superbase’ proposals.
While the Defence budget of over $23 billion will fund new fighters, submarines and surface warships, it also requires savings of $20 billion internally. It is clear preservation and maintenance of all the heritage buildings at Point Cook will not be adequately funded by Defence.
In February 2004, the Federal Government proposed management of Point Cook by a community based National Aviation Museum Trust. “The National Aviation Museum Trust will manage the aviation activities on the site for educational, recreational and commercial purposes; oversee the development of a National Aviation Museum at Point Cook; preserve the heritage buildings; ensure the local community and veterans’ organisations are consulted.”
The Trust outcome was stymied, and instead the Defence “Working Base” proposal was developed in its place. That model intended to retain a strong and ongoing Defence relationship with the site. This is a worthwhile objective, but it has effectively left the site and important buildings in limbo for the last six years, awaiting future funding that may never come, or be too little too late.
A Community Trust model was a valid solution for other sites. In 2000 the Federal Government set up the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust with funding of $90M to manage, preserve and develop public access and usage of 6 former Defence sites in Sydney.
A more local comparison is the creation in 2004 of the Point Nepean Community Trust with funding of $48 million to manage, preserve and develop public access and usage of the former Point Nepean Defence site, inclusive of $31 million to restore and develop the Quarantine Station / Norris Barracks buildings.
In the six years since being placed on the CHL in 2004, and announcement of a Trust outcome at Point Cook, the only significant heritage building maintenance undertaken at Point Cook was to replace the asbestos sheeting roof on the 1914 Aeroplane Workshops (building 95), and the 1927 Seaplane Hangar (building 101), well short of that given to the Point Nepean Trust in the same period.
ACTION NEEDED NOW
There is now an urgent need to revisit the Master Plan and precinct uses at Point Cook, focusing on public access. There is a need to reconsider establishing a Community Trust to manage the public areas under a lease from Defence, allowing maintenance and civilian use of surplus heritage buildings to access similar heritage funding to that gained for Point Nepean.
The Historic buildings of Point Cook cannot afford to wait another three or four years for funding of repairs and maintenance, or implementation of a plan with public access and usage. Many heritage buildings will not survive to the site’s centenary in 2014.