September 26, 2006
By Lucille Davie
THE Heritage Appeals Committee has approved the demolition of five of the 10 buildings in the proposed provincial government square for the Joburg CBD.
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) originally approved the demolition of 10 buildings, but this decision was then taken to the agency's appeals committee.
Stressing that all decisions were reached by "absolute consensus", the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) committee gave the go-ahead for the following five buildings to be demolished: the RSA building, Clegg House, SARB House, the People's Bank Building and Thusanong. It denied permission for the demolition of these five buildings: Rand Water Board, Volkskas, Custom House, New Library Hotel and the First National Bank Building.
"The Appeals Committee wants to reiterate that its decisions have been made with due regard to the individual merits and heritage value of each building for which application has been made for demolition," the committee said in its report.
The provincial government, which owns a number of buildings adjoining Beyers Naude Square, wants to demolish two blocks of buildings between Market and Commissioner streets to expand the square and create an enlarged space in the centre of the CBD. Several of the buildings are Art Deco buildings, while others are unique examples of their architectural style.
The square, part of the proposed Gauteng provincial government precinct, will encompass a street underpass, four skywalks joining buildings, and underground parking. Market Street, between Sauer and Harrison streets, will form part of the square, becoming an underpass, with an ingress, or entrance, in Kort Street and egress, or exit, after Harrison Street. This will mean that the present four lanes will be reduced to two lanes.
All the buildings in green were to make way for the proposed square
Five of the 10 buildings are older than 60 years, which means that permission has to be obtained from Sahra before demolition can proceed.
Sahra approved the demolition of all 10 in October 2005. In July this year the committee heard arguments opposing the demolitions, from four appellants: the South African Institute of Architects; Herbert Prins and fellow architects; the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust; and Neil Fraser and the Johannesburg Heritage Trust.
The committee conducted an in loco site inspection of the buildings, led by the architect proposing the development, Fanuel Motsepe, accompanied by the four appellants. It also considered all the written, visual and oral submissions made.
The committee consisted of four members: lawyer Gloria Rabyanyana; retired professor Bannie Britz, a Bloemfontein-based architect and urban planner; Johannesburg-based architect Gershon Manana; and University of Western Cape history professor Ciraj Rassool, and the committee chair.
Committee's recommendations
A detailed Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) concluded that the demolition, in particular of nine of the 10 buildings, would represent the loss of a valuable heritage resource. An independent report, compiled by architects Gawie Fagan, Franco Frescura and Nina Maritz, who don't live in Johannesburg, came to the same conclusion. They recommended retaining the historic facades of the buildings and refurbishing the interior of the buildings.
While praising the HIA by Johann Bruwer as having been "an excellent job", the committee felt that the age of 60 years did not give a building "automatic protection". Instead, they looked at each building on the merits of its own heritage significance, considering not only its architectural significance but also the "social history and how they have been used over time".
"There was agreement that buildings were a resource, whatever state they were in. The decision to remove any building should thus not be taken easily." The committee considered how a building could be "recycled, re-utilised and incorporated into" the proposed precinct.
The committee was not convinced that the proposed square had to be one large space. "It was felt that smaller spaces of public gathering might be able to provide the same result as the proposed large square."
The committee suggested that a museum of architecture and urban history be incorporated into the development plan for the square. "Not only could this focus on the precinct, but it could also be a landmark institution for the city and the province."
A substantial element of Motsepe's proposal is to counteract the colonial and apartheid heritage that these buildings represent. The committee dismissed this, saying the proposal was an "ex-post facto ideological justification", and not significant.
City's response
The Johannesburg Development Agency's CEO, Lael Bethlehem, said she felt encouraged by the outcome of the report. "A thorough assessment was done on the heritage issues."
She said that the City was concerned about broader issues like transport disruptions and the value of the buildings proposed for demolition. Fraser, in his submission to the committee, estimated the value of the 10 buildings to be R500 million.
The City is in discussions with the provincial government concerning the proposed square, but at this stage all she would say is that the discussions were "proceeding well".
Appellants' responses
Fraser, who presented an economic argument in July against the demolitions, was "delighted" on three counts with the committee's report.
"The saving of the buildings; the fact that at last an honest assessment of the buildings has been done; and that Sahra has not apparently allowed itself to be steamrollered by political imperatives."
Bird, heritage stalwart and chairperson of the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust, said she was pleased that the buildings along the square on Market Street, are to be saved. She added that it was important to keep the traditional shape of the square, as a record of the history of the square.
While she still wished to discuss the report with her lawyers, she was "very happy that the five most important buildings have been retained".
Although unhappy that the process had been "so flawed", with numerous delays and the last-minute decision from Sahra to allow the trust to present its case at the hearing, Bird hoped that the decision would be accepted "in good spirit".
She said she would have gone to court if the decision had been in favour of demolition of all 10 of the buildings.
Prins said he was reluctant to comment on the decision until he had met with the group of architects with whom he lodged his appeal. "We may be happy with the decision, and let the matter rest there," was all he wished to say. The meeting takes place on Thursday.
Motsepe, the architect of the proposed square, consulted with his client, the province, late on Wednesday, 20 September, and said: "They haven't had time to consider it and study it carefully." He couldn't say when a decision was expected.
The province and Motsepe will have to find an innovative solution to the proposed square as the retention of the five buildings means there won't be a diagonal flow from Beyers Naude Square across Market Street, the essence of the proposed square.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
