Urban renewal of railway workshops

Heritage Minister Michelle Roberts today announced the permanent listing of the Midland Railway Workshops on the State Register of Heritage Places.

The listing celebrates the special place the site holds in Western Australia’s industrial, economic and social history.

Mrs Roberts said the Midland Railway Workshops were once the engine-room of our State’s economic development.

“The place fostered many working class heroes - people who went on to become trade union, civic and Parliamentary leaders,” she said.

“Most importantly, the spirit of the workshops is still very much alive and at the heart of the significant redevelopment project now taking place.”

“The Heritage Council, the Midland Redevelopment Authority and the local community are all working together to ensure that the development here will respect the workshops’ rich history.”

Preparations for the development of the workshops included a $14.2million heritage restoration project of the large buildings and a complex three-year site remediation costing more than $30million.

The major heritage restoration project was preceded by other smaller restoration works such as the Railway Institute and Technical School building, that won a Heritage Council Award for conservation; work on the Peace memorial and gardens; and turning the Time Keeper’s Office into the Interpretive Centre.

Work in progress includes refurbishing the front Gate House and the Nursing Post and Ambulance Garage, and refitting and extending the Pattern Store.

A public art program, interpretive centre and history project are also key aspects of the redevelopment, honouring the important heritage of the site.

“Just as the old railway workshops were leading-edge in their structures and industrial processes, the new community will be leading-edge in urban design,” the Minister said.

“The Midland Redevelopment Authority’s approach to preserving and enhancing this heritage icon will ensure that its legacy will live on for many generations to come.”