The Greens are urgently calling on the State and Federal Governments to fund a master plan for Willow Court precinct after Wednesdays council decision to open an Expression of Interest process for the take over of Frascati House in Willow Court.
After 25 years of neglect, and a lack of vision, various building that made up the Willow Court precinct have been lost to vandalism and privatisation, which in some cases the heritage and architectural values of those buildings have been altered, in others this hasn’t been the case.
To risk losing another building before a wholistic site plan, or any protection planning overlay to prevent to erosion of the vast values the entire site holds, will only hinder future efforts for preservation and gut the integrity of sites story.
Willow Court tells a globally significant human rights story. The Precinct’s 19th century buildings, including Frascati House, form a significant aspect of the history of convict transportation to Tasmania, with the Barracks building pre-dating Port Arthur. It is the only site in the nation that has buildings representative of institutional architecture from colonisation to the 20th century.
In March this year the Derwent Valley Council requested some assistance for a site business plan, that excluded Frascati House, and for much needed maintenance of buildings in a part of the Willow Court precinct. It is shameful that neither the State nor Federal Governments have yet seen irreplaceable value of the site and invested in its future.
The case cannot be put any better than in the DVCs plea for funding;
‘To lose Willow Court through continued neglect would create an irreparable gap in Australia’s architectural and social history. Its preservation represents more than just the saving of historic buildings – it ensures the maintenance of a crucial link to our past that can inform our understanding of mental health care, institutional design, and social attitudes for generations to come.’
If properly planned out and funded the Willow Court precinct has a prosperous future in tourism, in mediating a globally significant human rights story, and any number of possible private ventures.
The Greens call on all levels of Government to sit down together and collaborate to fund and draft a long-term vision for Willow Court before any further short-sighted erosion of the sites integrity and values are lost in perpetuity.
