Significance:

The adjoining Exchange Hotel, National Bank and Northern Hotels make a significant contribution to the streetscape in Tassie Street. Built of stone on a generous scale these buildings give the precinct character and identity. Their loss will seriously diminish the civic quality of this part of Port Augusta.

Threat:

The hotels and former bank have been assessed as being of local heritage significance. Port Augusta City Council, like over half of South Australia’s  sixty eight local councils, provides no protection for local heritage items. Demolition of the two hotels and the bank has been approved, as without a heritage list as part of its Development Control Plan the Council had no basis to reject the application.

Action Required:

In line with State Government planning policy all local councils in South Australia should provide protection in their development plans for local heritage items. The process of implementing development plan amendments to include local heritage lists must be streamlined and expedited.

The planning system needs to provide owners with greater incentives to retain historic buildings.

The Port Augusta City Council should encourage the owner of the Exchange and Northern Hotels and the former Bank building to retain and adapt the historic buildings and, if additional density is needed, to build on the site of the carpark and drive in bottle shop (about 30% of the site).

NOT FAST ENOUGH

Demolition of the Exchange Hotel in Port Augusta occured shortly after the Our Heritage At Risk list was announced by the National Trust of South Australia.

  The Challenges of Port Augusta - A Message from the Mayor