Bid to turn Applecross church into next Taj Mahal knocked back

An Applecross church has been suggested as having the same potential as the Taj Mahal and other global landmarks in a bid to persuade the local government to buy it.

The former Anglican Church on Kintail Road in Applecross was put up for sale last month.

The 1012sq m property is located just opposite Applecross Primary School and is described as having “excellent access” to the Ardross Street entertainment precinct, the Swan River and the Canning Highway.

“Applecross is firmly held and rarely does a site of this size and prominence come to market on the popular Kintail Road,” he said in his pitch.

A bid by Applecross-Mt Pleasant ward councilor Clive Ross to have the city buy it and create a memorial garden was defeated 7-4 at the council meeting on March 17.

Now he’s looking for community support to buy it.

The city recently voted against approving more monuments in public space due to concerns that it was “becoming saturated.”

Cr Ross made his presentation to the city, talking about places such as the pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the homes of Paul Revere and the Bronte sisters and the construction of Kintyre.

The commonality, he said, is that they are all in memory of loved ones.

“Today we have the opportunity to create a memorial garden for our loved ones in the City of Melville,” Cr Ross said.

“Writers who warn the community of danger do not have to be the wives of emperors or famous musicians or heroes. This is for the everyday heroes, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, and partners who make up our community at Melville.”

He said it was a chance to define the city’s heritage and he was ready to purchase two plaques to kick-start the project.

“Our current legacy is the fiasco at Canning Bridge, but we can do better. We can provide a real opportunity for the community to not only preserve a heritage property, but also make it a memorial to their loved ones,” he said.

Cr Glynis Barber said she was “entirely in agreement” with selling space for memorial plaques to cover the cost of the building.

“I actually get a little bit despondent because the way we work is to tear down aging buildings because we think, ‘no, it’s too hard to fix, so let’s tear it down,’” he said.

“If this memorial plaque idea can help pay for this little heritage church and some of the history of the City of Melville, then I think it’s a really good idea.”

Cr Crawford Yorke said the stated $3 to $4 million purchase price was equivalent to a 3 to 4 per cent interest rate increase and he “didn’t know where to start” in opposing it.

“There was recently a vote regarding private monuments on public land that was roundly rejected,” he said.

“There is a large state-run cemetery in our city. It is a state matter, it serves this purpose, there is a lot of space there.”

He said it was an example for the city. Spending north of Leach Highway compared to south.

“People even tell me it should be called Applecross City and not Melville City,” Cr Yorke said.

The site is not on the State Heritage Register but is included in the city’s local heritage survey. It is zoned residential.

Cr Ross told PerthNow this week that the site was still on the market and that he planned to register with a community association to raise funds to purchase it by pre-selling memorial plaques.

“Interested parties will be invited to make payments into a solicitor’s Trust account so that if a threshold amount is not received into the Trust account by the due date, all payments will be refunded in full to creditors,” he said.