Request for expressions of interest to lease and/or develop

Option A – Find a sustainable and compatible new use for Bridgedale Homestead. The land is zoned Residential R12.5/20 under the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes town Planning Scheme No. 3 and this zoning allows a number of potential uses.  Please refer to Attachment A for an extract of the Zoning Table from Town Planning Scheme No. 3.  Any queries about permissibility of specific uses can be made to the Shire’s Planning Department. A – EOI Bridgedale, Zoning Table TPS 3

Option B – Redevelopment of a portion of the site on Hampton Street for commercial, entertainment or tourism use.

The land is zoned Residential R12.5/20 under the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes town Planning Scheme No. 3 and this zoning allows a number of potential uses.  Please refer to Attachment A for an extract of the Zoning Table from Town Planning Scheme No. 3.  Any queries about permissibility of specific uses can be made to the Shire’s Planning Department.  A – EOI Bridgedale, Zoning Table TPS 3

Potential Use

Bridgedale is a residential building and with its picturesque outlook lends itself to low-impact uses such as tourism or creative industries. It is listed as inherit database Place Number 0241 – State Register of Heritage Places and under the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes Town Planning Scheme (TPS No.3). Any proposed use will be subject to Council approval.

The substantial curtilage of Bridgedale also offers opportunities for small-scale tourism infrastructure development through a potential development zone identified in the conservation plan

The National Trust of Western Australia will consider expressions of interest proposals against criteria including: financial sustainability; community benefit; and potential impact on heritage values.

When assessing each proposal, the National Trust of Western Australia will also focus on:

1. Level of activity generated by the proposal;
2. Investment required; and
3. Compatibility with site and heritage values.

Expressions of Interest are to be submitted to the National Trust on or before 3pm Monday 10 December 2018 and should include the following details:

• Name of the proponent(s), business address and relevant contact details
• Details of any proposed team members, consultants/ contractors
• Details of proposed use of the place and any anticipated impact on heritage values considering:
  • Option A – Bridgedale Homestead and/or
  • Option B – The area designated for redevelopment
• Business case
• Details of proposed lease terms including but not limited to:
  • promote the heritage significance of the site
  • provide opportunities for community access and engagement
  • length of the desired lease
  • extent of lease
  • proposed rental fee
  • proposed capital expenditure (cash and in kind)
  • any other relevant terms and conditions
  • Names and contact details of three referees who have had recent dealings with the proponents
  • Level of insurances and name of the company that holds the policy

Supporting Documents 

EOI – Bridgedale, Bridgetown

A – EOI Bridgedale, Zoning Table TPS 3

For further information or questions, please contact Ms Micaela Pereira:

Email: micaela.pereira@ntwa.com.au

Phone: (08) 9321 6088

Bridgedale, Bridgetown has a close association with the first years of European settlement of the Bridgetown district. The original ten acre site of the place was purchased by John Blechynden in 1859 under the newly introduced land regulations aimed at promotion of wider settlement of rural districts in the south-west of the State. The farm at Bridgedale was the first property to be occupied in the townsite area and pre-dates the establishment of the town. The existing house was built circa 1868, and is the oldest building in Bridgetown. When the Bridgetown townsite was proclaimed in 1868, Bridgedale was incorporated into the town survey. As the town developed and expanded Bridgedale became a town residence rather than a homestead. Its farming origins, however, remain apparent. Bridgedale remained the family home of the Blechynden family until 1950.

Bridgedale was saved from destruction by the efforts and generosity of the local community who raised the funds to purchase the property in 1970 and subsequently gifted it to the National Trust. In the early years of the town’s history, it was the focus of community gatherings with public meetings, school classes, concerts and dances being held either in the house itself or in the large barn on the property.

A use is sought that that enables the community to once again access and appreciate the heritage values of Bridgedale.

Bridgetown is located in the heart of WA’s south-west three hours’ drive south of Perth and an hour and a half drive east of Margaret River. Bridgedale is located at the southern end of the town, between the South-Western Highway and Hampton Street, on the northern banks of the Blackwood River. The site has access on the west to the South Western Highway and on the east to Hampton Street. Looking south from the property there are pleasant views over the river and the bridges to the valley landscape of cleared hillsides with scattered trees.

Nearby attractions include: Bridgetown Pottery Tearooms and Gallery; Brierley Jigsaw Gallery; Greenbushes Eco Cultural Discovery Centre; Levanda Grove; and The Cidery.

Area

The site area comprises five lots: Lots 6 (1057m2), 7 (1016m2), 8 (1008m2) and 9 (1370m2) of Diagram 17903 are located at 1, 3, 5 and 7 Hampton Street respectively; and Lot 12 (1549m2) on Diagram 17903 is located on South Western Highway. Together, they comprise 6000m2 (0.6 hectares) of the original Blechynden land holding.

Lot 9 contains a c1950s house that is on a fixed term lease. The remainder of the lots are available for lease immediately and are on offer as options A and B and subject to heritage conditions development opportunities.

Option A – Find a sustainable and compatible new use for Bridgedale Homestead.

Bridgedale is a single storey four roomed clay brick house in the Victorian Georgian style with a simple corrugated iron hipped roof, bull nosed verandas to three sides, and a skillion-roofed rear section comprising five rooms.  The internal floor area is 135m². Internally rooms are generally floorboards on stumps, painted mud render on clay brick walls, timber joinery and timber board ceilings. Washrooms are concrete slab floors with an unlined ceiling. There are fireplaces in three rooms and picture rails in formal rooms. The house has a split level reflecting the stages of construction and existing site levels. The phases of development of the building remains apparent through its physical fabric: the lean-to roof section to the south west has less sophisticated detailing than the front rooms and entry hall. The c1960 additions on the eastern side are also readily apparent.

Generally the building is in fair condition with elements in poor condition. Although much restoration and conservation work has been completed in the past forty years, it is of a medium to high authenticity and integrity. As per the ‘Bridgedale, Bridgetown WA: Conservation Plan’ (revised) 2013 – Work required to enable use of the building includes: electrical upgrade, toilet and kitchen upgrades, painting and general repairs. Universal access and other compliance issues will be dependent on use.

Option B – Redevelopment of waterfront portion of the site on Hampton Street for commercial, entertainment or tourism use.

The land on which Bridgedale is set slopes moderately steeply down from Hampton Street in the north-east down to the northern bank of the Blackwood River in the south-west. The existing landscape comprises expansive areas of grass (both irrigated and unirrigated), mature trees, shrubs, and beds of herbaceous perennials. The overall presentation is of the buildings and their fringing domestic gardens sitting within a park-like setting. Trees are of mixed, mainly introduced species except for the river bank which retains its natural Eucalypt vegetation. The most historically important tree is the large Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica glauca) at the north-east corner of the site, believed to have been planted toward the end of the nineteenth century.

Bridgedale is classified by the National Trust of Western Australia, in the Shire of Bridgetown Greenbushes Town Planning Scheme and Municipal Inventory, and included on the State Register of Heritage Places.

–   Information pertaining to the State Register of Heritage Places can be found HERE