Artist’s impression of Willard’s Farm after restoration works are completed – Image: Redland City Council
A contract for $5,066,985 has been awarded by Redland City Council to Baroque Group Pty Ltd for Willard’s Farm restoration.
The Council says that restoration of this historic Birkdale property is expected to be completed in mid-2024.
The amount that Redland City Council is spending on restoration works is about ten times the cost estimate for “restoring all structures” provided to councillors when they voted in 2015 to purchase and restore the property.
Decision to purchase Willard’s Farm
This 1870s farmhouse was purchased by Redland City Council on 9 March 2016 for $1.45 million, in response to community concerns about the previous owner’s application to demolish buildings and subdivide the site into twelve house blocks.
The decision to purchase and restore this property was made by elected councillors at a special meeting in December 2015, after considering a range of options put forward by Redland Investment Corporation (the Council’s property company).
At this meeting, councillors voted 7/3 to purchase and restore Willards Farm.
Crs Boglary, Ogilvie, Hardman, Hewlett, Elliott, Beard and Bishop voted FOR the motion.
Crs Gleeson, Talty and Williams voted AGAINST the motion. Cr Edwards was not present when the motion was put.
In June 2016 Willard’s farm was added to Redland City Council’s Local Heritage Register.
Willard’s Farm restoration
The 2015 report to Council by Redland Investment Corporation estimated that “restoring all structures” at Willard’s farm would cost $503,750 – about one tenth of the contract amount for restoration works awarded by Redlands Council on 7 August 2023.
After purchasing Willard’s Farm in March 2016, the Council obtained advice from consultants Converge Heritage and Community (Converge) to advise on conservation of the property.
A five year action plan for completion of high, medium and low priority work to properly conserve Willard’s Farm was set out in Converge’s report dated October 2016.
If this advice had been acted upon, Willard’s Farm could have been restored and open to the public at least two years ago.
Plans to undertake short term emergency actions to prevent deterioration of the buildings and structures and make the site and buildings safe were approved by the Council at its meeting on 14 December 2016.
But the Council didn’t proceed with restoration works. In 2016/17 the Council decided to reallocate funds from Willard’s Farm to another project – relocating the Station Master’s Cottage from land owned by the RSL to a site next to the Cleveland Lions Hall.
Willard’s Farm was boarded up, fenced off and totally inaccessible to the community for all but two days of the past seven years.
During the Council’s consultation process for future uses of the Birkdale Community Precinct, the community had an opportunity to visit Willard’s Farm and inspect the building’s exterior during two open days in April 2021.
State Heritage listing of Willard’s Farm
Willard’s Farm was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 8 March 2022 following an application submitted by the Birkdale Progress Association.
The Heritage Council agreed with Birkdale Progress Association that the heritage listed area should include a portion of the adjacent lands purchased by Redland City Council from the Commonwealth Government in 2019.
On 20 April 2022 Redland City Council appealed to the Planning and Environment Court against the heritage listing of extra land by the Queensland Heritage Council.
More than a year later, the parties agreed to a small reduction in the area of extra land incorporated in the heritage listed area.
Being included on the State Heritage Register means that the State Government must be consulted about matters affecting the property’s heritage values such as restoration works.
Redlands2030 – 7 September 2023
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One Comment
As lovely as this piece of history is – the amount to restore it is extraordinary. I feel it could be carried out at a much more reasonable price by a working group of people – invested in working of restoring historic properties. What would the farm be used for – once it was restored. The Council should pay for the materials and the work could be done by a working group…..