Leeuwin Barracks is an active Defence site located in the Town of East Fremantle in Western Australia. The site is on the Commonwealth Heritage List and on the local Town of East Fremantle’s Heritage List. Current site functions will be relocated by 2023, and the site will be divested. Leeuwin Barracks today comprises of many extant buildings that demonstrate the site’s history and changes of use. The Department of Defence (Defence) required heritage expertise in navigating the complexities of divestment of a national and local listed place that also has a high profile stakeholder interest.

element was engaged by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of Defence to prepare a heritage assessment for Leeuwin Barracks. The main objective of our engagement was to advise Defence on the site’s State heritage values, increase site knowledge and understanding of possibilities for change, and make further recommendations with the view of de-risking future divestment to ensure heritage values are protected after sale. The project assessed the place against State and national heritage values. This involved leading a multidisciplinary team including historical, archaeological, design and technical specialists.

The heritage assessment and advice encapsulated best practice heritage management, assessed against national and world standards. It assisted in determining that the place met the threshold for State significance and placed the subject site appropriately within the context of similar places at the local, State, national and international level.

• Due Diligence  
• Heritage Assessment  
• Heritage strategic advice