In accordance with sections 35 and 94 of the Heritage Act 2011, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss has decided not to formally declare the Old Darwin Primary School as a heritage place.
The Minister recognises that the Old Darwin Primary School holds a special place for many Territorians, most specifically those who attended the school. The Minister supports the repurposing of the buildings on the Old Darwin Primary School site in the medium term, however, in the long term it is in the public interest to ensure the site can be fully considered in terms of the future civic and community needs of central Darwin.
The Minister has determined that the declaration was unnecessary based on the following key reasons:
- The land on which the Old Primary School is located has been identified in recent planning documents for long term development. If the remaining structures associated with the Old School are retained, this will limit the sites potential to best meet the civic and community needs of those living in central and inner Darwin in the future.
- In 2018, construction work commenced on Garramilla Boulevard, immediately to the north of the Old Primary School, prior to the nomination being accepted by the Heritage Council. Some structures associated with the Old School were demolished and/or subsumed by landfill, and the construction work had a significant effect on the setting of the Old Primary School.
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
