Recent reports of construction and demolition work on the Claremont Primary School site prompted me to find out more. Below are direct quotes from replies from someone intimately involved in the development project.

My first question related to the work going on now.

“[I’m] happy to say that the demolition of the newer extensions to the school are as per our DA permit. We are also adding temporary protective works to the roof and making the walls of the main building more secure to try and stop unauthorised ingress and protect more from weather. These were requirements of the permit and the owner felt it was best to do them now while we still work on finalising the project so as to not risk any further damage. 

This will hopefully make the site less of an attraction to vandals and make it harder for them to get in to the lovely main building that of course remains and will have its facade restored to its previous state. The grounds will also be easier to upkeep as it will remove a number of hazards on the ground. 

We are still the architects and still working hard to get the best results for everyone including the local community.”

Email received July 2, 2023 with minor edits for readability.

My next question related to possible changes to the original design.

“There is not much I can say due to commercial confidentiality but also simply things not being finalised in terms of decision as to what if anything to change.

As you are aware covid and other recent events have affected the construction industry heavily in terms of material costs and other site costs which affected many projects across the state in terms of their feasibility studies, Claremont included. We have therefore been working hard with builders and others to understand better the various cost implications of materials etc so we can make sure we document a project that maintains its viability under the new conditions. This has meant exploring options of reducing scale and other elements which may be what you are referring to but I stress that we have not made any decision as to the final outcome of these explorations and that is why we do not wish to be premature in stating that things have or haven’t changed as that just causes confusion, frustration and disappointment.

Our eye is always on making the project as good as it can be for all concerned, and is not priced out of reach for those who wish to live there. We think the market is settling down now with logistics problems and material shortage problems being reduced so we can start to feel more confident in what we have to deal with. The project will be built in stages in over a number of years and so need to get these things right.

I am sorry we cannot be more forthcoming at present, the whole industry is frustrated at the moment, believe me, but we believe some firmness is returning to the relevant areas. Architect is both an art and a business and it is difficult to get these balances right, so we are not going to rush it.”

Email received July 5, 2023

The comments above come directly from someone in the project team. They are the facts.

PS. Received this supplementary information today (July 14) from the same source on the project team:

“The demolition and tidy up for the site should finish next week. We will be leaving some of the slabs as we wish to crush and recycle that material to help with raising the ground level in some locations to help with the local flood issues that was part of our DA requirement. They are also useful for.the builders during construction to place their site huts etc.”

Email received July 14, 2023