How The Rocks would have looked if the 1960 redevelopment plan had proceeded
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The National Trust strongly supports the proposal to assign the name “Jack Mundey Place” in recognition of Jack Mundey’s outstanding contribution to the conservation of The Rocks through the Green Bans of the 1970s.

However, the Trust believes that the intersection of George Street and Argyle Place would be a more fitting location for “Jack Mundey Place” than Kendall Lane.

The National Trust’s own headquarters have been sited on Observatory Hill above The Rocks since the mid 1970s and the Trust was vitally involved in this issue.

The original James Wallace Pty Ltd scheme in 1960 proposed the redevelopment of the entire East Rocks with the exception of the then Maritime Services Board building which had been designed in 1938 but wasn’t built until 1952. At that time the National Trust only argued for three buildings to be preserved – Cadman’s Cottage (1815), and the Argyle Bond Store (1828) and Metcalfe Bond Store (1842).

In 1966 the State Government broke off negotiations with James Wallace Pty Ltd and appointed Sir John Overall to draw up a new scheme and after representations from the National Trust the scheme proposed the conservation of seven buildings. The 1960s were a time of wholesale demolition and not surprisingly the National Trust resolved to support the scheme even though in hindsight it is clear that this scheme did not preserve very much. However, it was a great deal better than the 1960 proposal.

When the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority was formed in 1970 it invited the Trust to make submissions on buildings to be preserved. This was done by way of a survey and report listing twenty three buildings or groups of buildings, with first, second and third priorities for preservation and a statement of townscape principles. This survey and its report were adopted by the Council of the National Trust on 21st September, 1970.

 

When the S.C.R.A. plans were published in February 1971 many of the buildings recommended by the Trust were included for preservation and the Trust expressed support for the scheme. Subsequently the Authority added to its list of buildings as its own investigations proceeded.

At this time (February, 1971) only five buildings in The Rocks had been listed on the National Trust Register. The Trust’s Historic Buildings Committee resolved to correct this anomaly by considering the area again and recommending listing of all those buildings which the Authority intended to preserve.

In the course of this task the whole area was examined again taking into account what the Trust’s Historic Buildings Committee believed to be essential to the character of The Rocks. That is, groups of buildings and the spaces they contain, together with the very important framed vistas which these spaces permit. In addition, several early Twentieth Century buildings, not previously considered, were added.

The Trust’s Historic Buildings Committee and Urban Conservation Committee proposed a much enlarged number of listings. These proposals were discussed with officers of the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority who agreed in principle with many of the recommendations, but expressed concern at some of the proposed listings.

The $500 million East Rocks redevelopment scheme was set to commence in January, 1972. The S.C.R.A. “Scheme for the Redevelopment of Sydney Cove”, dated December, 1970, proposed 6 large towers in The Rocks area north of the Cahill Expressway. It involved the total redevelopment of the area bounded by George Street, the Cahill Expressway, the Bradfield Highway and Argyle Street. There was also total redevelopment of the area bounded by George Street, Argyle Street, Kendall Lane and Playfair Street. The entire western side of George Street from the Cahill Expressway northwards to Playfair Street was proposed for demolition and redevelopment.

On 28th December, 1971 newspapers reported that the Builders’ Labourers Federation had placed a total ban on the redevelopment scheme claiming that ‘residents who will be displaced by the project will not be adequately compensated and that many historically significant buildings will be needlessly destroyed.’ The BLF called for the scheme to be reviewed.

The “Scheme for the Redevelopment of Sydney Cove” was eventually dropped and in following years the National Trust continued to identify additional buildings which were listed and entered on the National Trust Register as well as “The Rocks Urban Conservation Area” encompassing the entire area of The Rocks and Millers Point. The Trust Classified and entered on its Register 38 places along George Street alone. Altogether 95 places in the Rocks were entered on the National Trust Register.

On 13th January 1984 the National Trust wrote to Mr D. Magee, Director of the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority commenting on the Authority’s report entitled The Rocks 1988 and Beyond – A Working Paper.

The Trust stated

“…the report presents a number of design concepts which are inappropriate for the area, generally incompatible with the character of The Rocks and which fail to address major requirements of urban conservation.

The character of The Rocks is derived largely from the historic buildings left in the area, and the nineteenth century street layout. What still exists of the old needs to be reinforced, otherwise this character will be lost. Those buildings which are retained should not be just the “jewels” – but also the subsidiary buildings and those of streetscape quality, which also contribute to the significance of the area.

The report states that ‘building forms should incorporate the characteristics which gave The Rocks, in its original form, its individual atmosphere and character’. It is stated that ‘the scheme provides for the retention of pedestrian passageways and steps and for new buildings to be related to existing buildings in scale, form and architectural treatment.’ These are commendable objectives, but they do not appear to have been successfully embodied in the concepts as outlined in the documentation which accompanies the report.”

The Trust went on to note that buildings were proposed 11, 6, 13 and 6 stories high, out of scale with the existing buildings in areas where development had related closely to the topography and been limited to a height of two and three storeys.

The Report also proposed that several houses in Gloucester Street and Longs Lane, Classified by the Trust, be demolished. The Trust then stated that ‘the worst aspect of the entire scheme’ was the proposed treatment of what is termed the Lilyvale Site where a total of eleven buildings listed on the Trust Register were proposed for demolition.

Finally, the Trust noted ‘yet another example of a poorly considered planning decision’ where two Edwardian period buildings facing Essex Street were proposed for demolition to make way for landscaped open space.

The Trust put the view that these two buildings were important architectural elements within the area and made a significant contribution to the character of the environment.

The two buildings, “Accountants House” and the “Housing Board Building” were subsequently entered on the Register of the National Trust in 1994.

Conclusions
The Green Ban placed on the $500 million East Rocks redevelopment scheme prevented the demolition of a large swathe of The Rocks, including the now ‘iconic’ George Street streetscape from the Cahill Expressway past the bend towards the Harbour Bridge.

The National Trust, in hindsight, had argued for the conservation of much less than what was ultimately conserved. Given the difficulties in saving much of ‘sandstone’ Sydney from the development excesses of the late 1950s and 1960s, the Trust had believed at that time that only individual buildings and not the entire area of The Rocks could be saved.

Jack Mundey and the Green Ban allowed breathing space and changed the entire approach, arguing that complete areas such as The Rocks, Woolloomoolloo and Glebe could and should be conserved.

The National Trust subsequently also took up this line and adopted that approach. The Trust could not have done this had it not been for the actions of  Jack Mundey and the BLF Green Bans.

Without Jack Mundey and his intervention The Rocks would have looked much the same as the Sydney Central Business District, generally high-rise modern development with individual older buildings interspersed.

In particular, the view from the intersection of George Street and Argyle Street would have looked unrecognisable from the one we see today with new large scale development on three corners and with buildings including the Museum of Contemporary Art (former Maritime Services Board building), the Orient Hotel, Observer Hotel, the former Police Station and the entire western George Street streetscape all lost.

It is at this intersection of George and Argyle Streets that a “Jack Mundey Place” should be dedicated and the National Trust urges the Geographical Names Board to assign that name to this major intersection in keeping with Jack Mundey’s key role in saving “The Rocks”.