Willard’s Farm restoration – have your say

Willard’s Farm house – at the Birkdale Community Precinct Open Day on 16 April 2021

The dilapidated condition of Willard’s Farm will have disappointed many people who had their first ever opportunity to inspect these historic buildings, during the recent Birkdale Community Precinct Open Days.

This property was bought by Redland City Council more than five years ago in response to community concerns about the previous owner’s application to demolish buildings and subdivide the site into twelve house blocks.

Soon after purchasing Willard’s Farm, the Council decided on 8 June 2016 to list this property on Redland City’s Local Heritage Register.

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 it seemed that councillors were reluctant to undertake the job of properly restoring the Willard’s farmhouse, outbuildings and surrounds, estimated to cost about $2,000,000.

In 2016/17 the Council decided to reallocate funds in its First Budget Review 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.

Since then, Willard’s Farm has been boarded up, fenced off and totally inaccessible to the community.

Willard’s Farm restoration was a 2020 election issue

During Cr Rowanne McKenzie’s long campaign for election to Redland City Council she complained about the poor state of Willard’s Farm.

“It’s incredibly frustrating for ratepayers to drive past this fenced up site knowing the further it deteriorates the more it’s going to cost us to restore it” said Ms McKenzie on 18 August 2019, in a post on her campaign Facebook page (which is now her councillor Facebook page).

The Redland City Bulletin reported Rowanne Mckenzie’s views about the Council’s lack of action in a story published on 9 September 2019:

• “Rowanne McKenzie said only minor works had been done since the site was fenced off in 2016.
• “The construction fencing and fluro-orange mesh is unsightly and the buildings are continuing to deteriorate,” Ms McKenzie said. “The further they deteriorate, the more it’s going to cost ratepayers to restore.”
• “Redland City Council owns the farm so in essence shouldn’t it be the council’s responsibility now to restore it instead of leaving it there behind unsightly construction fencing to deteriorate?” Ms McKenzie said.”

“All of Redland’s ratepayers purchased the property and a local councillor’s representation is not limited to Divisional boundaries but is extended to represent all of Redland’s residents best interests” said Ms McKenzie when posting the Bulletin’s story to her campaign Facebook page.

Since being elected to Council on 31 March 2020, Cr McKenzie appears to have said nothing, publicly, about the urgent need for restoration of Willard’s Farm.

Museum MOU announced – but not yet signed

Soon after Ms McKenzie’s concerns had been aired, Mayor Karen Williams announced at a Council meeting on 20 November 2019 that Willard’s Farm restoration would be progressed through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Redland Museum.

Claimed benefits of having the Museum engaged in restoration of Willard’s Farm were presented in a news release issued by the Council on 4 December 2019.

The Council also published a video of the Mayor talking about the MOU, accompanied by two representatives of the Museum.

With the local council elections to be held in a few months time it appeared that the Council had devised a cunning plan to get Willard’s Farm restored, possibly without much call on ratepayer’s money.

Sixteen months later, this MOU has not been signed by the Redland Museum.

In June 2020, Museum members were advised that the Management Committee decided to hold off signing the MOU, because:

“The project has changed. The Willard’s Farm project is now part of the newly acquired Commonwealth Land site.
There are several historic sites on this larger area that will possibly become locally and state heritage listed.
The whole precinct master plan will need to be developed by Council, including the restoration of Willard’s
homestead. The issues including access, parking, public amenities and restoration requirements will need to be
sorted in this plan.

It is Museum Management’s opinion that sorting out this projects direction and priorities will take a considerable
amount of time by Council.”

Redland City Council’s acquisition of the Commonwealth Land site was announced in April 2019, many months before the MOU announcement in November 2019.

A cynical observer might wonder if the Council’s announcement of an MOU with the Redland Museum in November 2019 was just pre-election pixie dust, intended to create the illusion of activity.

Have your say about Willard’s Farm restoration

Until 4th May 2021 Redland City Council is consulting about the future uses of Birkdale Community Precinct which includes Willard’s Farm.

This is an excellent opportunity to raise concerns about the need to properly restore a community asset which is a significant part of Redland City’s heritage.

Over the past five years, local councillors have voted to spend millions of dollars on projects which lack publicly available business cases but like Cinderella, Willard’s Farm has been ignored.

While the ultimate end use of this community asset should be determined as part of a precinct wide analysis, it is difficult to understand why Council does not proceed now with restoration of Willard’s Farm buildings and garden, so the community can have some access to and enjoyment of this publicly owned property.

To have your say about Willard’s Farm and what you think the Council should be doing, you can:

• complete the on-line submission form including your comments about Willard’s Farm under Item 5 What other thoughts do you have about the precinct? and/or
• Send your thoughts about Willard’s farm and future use of the Birkdale Community Precinct an email to ceo@redland.qld.gov.au with subject heading My Say – Birkdale Community Precinct. Include your name and address in the email so that it qualifies as a properly made submission.

When having your say about future uses for the rest of the Birkdale Community Precinct, comment on:

• Best way to incorporate the heritage listed World War II radio receiving station into future site use;
• Conservation of and access to areas which have environmental values;
• Use of the site for other community purposes e.g. sporting facilities, water play and education; and
• Whether or not this site should be used for development of an artificial white water rafting centre.

Council’s consultation process for the Birkdale Community Precinct closes on 4 May 2021.

Further Reading about Willard’s Farm

Willard’s Farm restoration decision questioned

Mayor fails to keep heritage commitments to Museum

Willards Farm – part of the Redlands heritage

Redlands2030 – 26 April 2021