Western Australia

Place:    Sunset Hospital, Perth

Threat:  Inappropriate Redevelopment

Significance of Place

The Sunset Hospital complex is one of the largest early 20th century public health facilities in Western Australia. The collection of buildings remains intact and retains a high degree of homogeneity. This unique riverside complex is a fine example of a 1904 residential institution designed to refl ect the perceived needs of inmates needing palliative care in Western Australia.

There was a long association with the local residential area, and this, combined with its role in the development of social health and welfare of the aged for over a century, means the site has strong social significance. The buildings of the Sunset Hospital complex, together with the natural spaces surrounding them, form a landmark historic precinct.

Site planning, in a military vernacular, represents a common mode for institutions of this type, while its subsequent modifi cations illustrate the changing role of the complex - as the community in Perth developed, and the Health Department evolved, so to did the function of Sunset Hospital.

Description of Threat

In June 2003 the State Government released a Concept Plan for the Sunset Hospital complex, for a 12-week public comment period. It proposed the sale of 35 lots for residential purposes, approximately 18% of the site. The sale of any part of the site would compromise its heritage signifi cance as a complex of buildings and open space.

Many local residents submitted objections to the proposal, and in February 2004 the Minister for Housing and Works announced its intention to create a business plan for the place, to investigate funding options and further examine possible future uses for the site. In the meantime, the building remains unoccupied, with no satisfactory conclusion resolved about its future.

Action Required

Although the state Government, acknowledges the heritage signifi cance of the place in the Concept Plan released last year, it has not yet presented a plan compatible with those values, nor committed to or even properly considered the possibility of preservation of the site as a whole. The National Trust of Australia (WA) acknowledges the complexity of the issues and the considerable challenge faced by the government in reaching a satisfactory outcome. It is essential that a compatible re-use is found as soon as possible, and that planning decisions relating to the place refl ect its heritage values.

To mark the Trust’s concern regarding the future of this site, the Hospital has been re-nominated this year as an Endangered Place..