Bungalow to go as Rinehart gets approval for new $250m business HQ
Gina Rinehart has been given the go-ahead to build a new $250 million headquarters for her Hancock Prospecting empire including the demolition of a 120-year-old building in its path despite conflict-of-interest concerns over the council approval process.
Western Australia’s planning commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the mining billionaire’s plans to demolish three buildings – including a 1904 Federation-style house – to construct a “work meets wellness” precinct in Perth comprising twin 14-storey towers joined by a podium.
The towers, adjacent to the 1980s office Hancock has occupied since founder Lang Hancock was at the helm, will span 10,000 square metres and host the company’s growing list of business divisions, from mining, energy, and apparel to agriculture and property.
The two buildings will feature several floors of offices, a handful of short-term suites for local and visiting interstate executives, fine dining, a crèche, pool, terrace and gym.
The mining giant took the development to WA’s expedited planning pathway for significant projects, which guarantees proponents a determination within 120 days.
But the development application sat with authorities for 184 days – two months longer than the statutory deadline.
More than two dozen of 70 public submissions received opposed the development for reasons including its scale, impacts on the character of the West Perth heritage enclave and the preservation of the 120-year-old property.
The City of Perth’s design panel backed the proposal, despite its proposed height exceeding the maximum allowed by 18 metres and questions about how the plans escaped some heritage rules.
House not on heritage list
Former Perth lord mayor Basil Zempilas, who is now state Liberal leader, used his mayoral powers in March 2023 to break a deadlock of six council members and remove the 1904 Federation-style home from the local heritage survey against the advice of city officers at the request of Hancock Prospecting’s representatives.
Zempilas, a former Seven West Media media personality whose links to Rinehart are well-documented, including accompanying her to an event 13 weeks after the vote, rejected any assertion that he had a conflict of interest and should have recused himself.
The lack of statutory protections for the Federation-era property, including its absence from the state’s heritage list and the Perth heritage survey, was a key justification for the project’s approval.
Labor Premier Roger Cook said on Wednesday it was clear there were “question marks” over the decision and that Perth’s rapid growth needed to be balanced with a respect for its heritage.
Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti accused Zempilas of being a hypocrite. “He is out there protesting the redevelopment of a landfill site into multi-use community infrastructure, but look at his record as mayor,” she told reporters.
“This is a clear demonstration that this is a person who now pretends to care about anything, and when he was lord mayor, he did whatever he liked.”
Members of the statutory planning committee deemed the project to be well-designed, saying it would likely “stand out” in a way that could transform the approach to built form in Perth.
Under approval conditions, Hancock Prospecting is required to prepare a detailed archival record of the Federation-era bungalow before its demolition.
The development approval is valid for four years.
The project is one of two Rinehart, who is worth $38.1 billion, and her companies are spearheading within a 300-metre stretch of West Perth, investing almost $400 million across three sites.
The plans would transform a 6000-square-metre block on Ord Street, previously occupied by Santos, into a new headquarters for Roy Hill, complete with a helipad, flexible working hubs, a town hall amphitheatre and a large chairman’s suite.
