Franklin Square Conservation Plan Addendum

Consultation has concluded

Project update

At its meeting held on 24 April 2023, Council approved an addendum to the existing Franklin Square Conservation Plan. As a result, the team will now proceed to the next step of the process which is to prepare and lodge a Development Application (DA) for the removal of the bronze component of the William Crowther statue in Franklin Square.

Once the DA has been submitted and the Planning Team has received all the necessary information, the DA will be publicly advertised for a period of two weeks. During this time, members of the public can submit Representations in support of or against the proposed development.

Should the DA be approved by Council (sitting as a planning authority), the City will have a planning permit to remove the bronze component of the statue and instate temporary signage.

For a reminder of the steps in the process, or to have another read of the original Conservation Plan and the Approved Addendum, please refer to the project stages below.

Project background

In March 2023, the City of Hobart sought submissions on an addendum to the Franklin Square Conservation Plan.

The City is taking the next step towards a development application for the removal of the bronze component from the William Crowther statue in Hobart’s Franklin Square - Stage three of the project (refer below for explanation of stages).

The decision to remove the bronze component of the statue and reinterpret the memorial was made by Council in August 2022 following extensive community engagement and consultation, and in acknowledgement of City of Hobart’s Aboriginal Commitment and Action Plan.

Following preliminary advice received in the lead up to last years Council decision, the City has been working with a heritage expert to review the contemporary place of the statue in Franklin Square, with regard to the Conservation Plan, which was published over 15 years ago in 2007. This review and resulting draft addendum will be included in the planning application to be prepared for the removal of the bronze component of the statue.

Next steps

Any feedback provided as part of this survey will be collated and considered by the City’s heritage team and our external heritage consultants before the final draft addendum goes to Council to consider a recommendation for approval.

If approved, a Development Application to remove the bronze portion of the statue will be prepared for public advertisement before being considered by Council as Planning Authority. This planning approval will be subject to assessment of the local and state heritage processes – Stage three of the project.

Should the Development Application be approved, we will then move to Stage four of the project as described below.

Project update

At its meeting held on 24 April 2023, Council approved an addendum to the existing Franklin Square Conservation Plan. As a result, the team will now proceed to the next step of the process which is to prepare and lodge a Development Application (DA) for the removal of the bronze component of the William Crowther statue in Franklin Square.

Once the DA has been submitted and the Planning Team has received all the necessary information, the DA will be publicly advertised for a period of two weeks. During this time, members of the public can submit Representations in support of or against the proposed development.

Should the DA be approved by Council (sitting as a planning authority), the City will have a planning permit to remove the bronze component of the statue and instate temporary signage.

For a reminder of the steps in the process, or to have another read of the original Conservation Plan and the Approved Addendum, please refer to the project stages below.

Project background

In March 2023, the City of Hobart sought submissions on an addendum to the Franklin Square Conservation Plan.

The City is taking the next step towards a development application for the removal of the bronze component from the William Crowther statue in Hobart’s Franklin Square - Stage three of the project (refer below for explanation of stages).

The decision to remove the bronze component of the statue and reinterpret the memorial was made by Council in August 2022 following extensive community engagement and consultation, and in acknowledgement of City of Hobart’s Aboriginal Commitment and Action Plan.

Following preliminary advice received in the lead up to last years Council decision, the City has been working with a heritage expert to review the contemporary place of the statue in Franklin Square, with regard to the Conservation Plan, which was published over 15 years ago in 2007. This review and resulting draft addendum will be included in the planning application to be prepared for the removal of the bronze component of the statue.

Next steps

Any feedback provided as part of this survey will be collated and considered by the City’s heritage team and our external heritage consultants before the final draft addendum goes to Council to consider a recommendation for approval.

If approved, a Development Application to remove the bronze portion of the statue will be prepared for public advertisement before being considered by Council as Planning Authority. This planning approval will be subject to assessment of the local and state heritage processes – Stage three of the project.

Should the Development Application be approved, we will then move to Stage four of the project as described below.

Consultation has concluded

  • Stage one

    Between late 2020 and the start of 2022, four temporary public art works were commissioned and installed on or beside the statue of William Crowther in Franklin Square. The four works were selected to present diverse perspectives and to acknowledge, question, provoke discussion or increase awareness about the story of Crowther and his treatment of the body of well-known Aboriginal leader William Lanne, after his death in the 1860s.

    Members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community have expressed their discomfort with the existence of the William Crowther statue during previous consultation, and this project was developed in response for their desire for something to be done to recognise the story of what happened to William Lanne.

    The City's Aboriginal Commitment and Action Plan, sets out a commitment to visibility and truth telling across the city, with an action under this commitment being:

    • Undertake an interpretation project to tell the layered story of Crowther in Franklin Square. (Action 6)

    This project responds directly to this commitment and action and is intended to allow multiple voices to comment on and discuss this contested element within the city.

    Each artwork was in place for approximately two months, with the installations running one after the other throughout 2021. Throughout the installation period, an online survey was conducted using the City's Your Say page, to capture feedback and reflections on the project, its impact and what the City might do as a permanent response in the park.

  • Stage two

    The second stage of this project looked at what a permanent response to the William Crowther statue might be. The City's Arts and Culture team worked with the engagement team, direct stakeholders and other relevant, interested parties to analyse the information captured by the project to date and develop a proposal for a permanent response. The proposal was put to Council in August 2022, and the following recommendation was approved by Council:

    That:

    1. In recognition of the Council's 2020 Aboriginal Commitment and Action Plan and the submissions received in response to the Crowther Reinterpreted project, Council support the proposal for partial removal of the William Crowther statue from Franklin Square - the bronze component – to the City's Valuables Collection, pending further negotiations with local collecting institutions, for a permanent location for this element (Stage 3).

    (i) This partial removal would be subject to receipt of planning approval by the Council and be paired with the instatement of temporary signage on the Franklin Square site, explaining the project.
    (approved by Council 7 votes for and 4 votes against)

    2. Subsequently, that officers develop a detailed proposal, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, for commissioning new, permanent, interpretative and/or sculptural elements to be installed beside the Crowther plinth (Stage 4). This would form the basis of a future report to the Council.
    (approved unanimously by Council)

    3. Following the completion of the Crowther Reinterpreted project, the Council support the development of a Monuments Policy to inform future additions or removals to the City's collection.
    (approved unanimously by Council)

    Anyone wishing to know more detail about the above proposal can read the full report in the Committee Meeting Agenda.

  • Stage three

    The third stage of the project will act on recommendation 1, as detailed above, developing a planning submission to remove the bronze component of the statue, and add temporary signage on the site. The planning submission will be submitted as a Development Application to Council for approval, prior to any work commencing.

  • Stage four

    When stage three is complete, the final phase of the project will begin. This will involve commissioning interpretive elements for the site including content that presents the various, relevant stories of this statue, the people involved, the context of the time and the process by which the statue was removed. The final design for these elements will also be subject to planning approval (another Development Application, submitted to Council for approval, prior to any permanent work commencing on site).