The Cliffe - Heritage Value

Heritage Value

The dwelling is registered on the Shire of Peppermint Grove's Municipal Inventory, and with the National Trust on 6 March 1984, the Register of the National Estate on 30 June 1992, and the State Register of Heritage Places (original interim listing on 10 October 1995 and permanent listing on 27 February 2004). It was then removed from the State Register on 6 July 2004, with a second interim listing on 20 July 2004 and obtaining a permanent listing on 19 July 2005.

In accordance with the Heritage Council of Western Australia's assessment The Cliffe is a rare example in metropolitan Perth of a substantial weatherboard 'gentleman's' residence, which has, intact, the subsidiary buildings of coachhouse, stables, summerhouse, servants cottages, and part of the original gardens.

On Thursday 5 June 2008 the Legislative Council supported Parliament's first de-listing of an order by the Heritage Council so that the house could be demolished on the basis that the Government was potentially exposed to a $20 million lawsuit under clause 76 of the 1990 State Heritage Act. The clause, which had never previously been used, allows owners of heritage-listed properties to ask the Government to buy their property if its heritage listing makes it "incapable of reasonably beneficial use, and that the carrying out of any reasonable development could not render the land capable of reasonably beneficial use". The property was subsequently removed from the State Register of Heritage Places on 22 August 2008. Section 55 of the Act precludes consideration for re-entry onto the Register for a period of five years from the date of its removal, except with leave of the Supreme Court.

In a newspaper interview, Robert McComb denied claims by Mr Creasy and both sides of parliament that the house was derelict.

In 1998 I took my son around to show him the house. I remember showing him the quality of workmanship, how the doors still fitted millimetre-perfect after 100 years, how the solid jarrah shingles, stained glass and beautiful dark floorboards were still in perfect condition. We lived in it up until the time we sold it and it was fine. —Robert McComb

In an interview with Drum Media, Jill Birt (keyboardist with The Triffids and qualified architect) advised

the significance of that house is that it was built as a display home for the use of jarrah timber by a timber merchant, so it's the biggest jarrah house ever built. Thrown into the pot is the fact that Dave happened to live there and he has been writing there since he was old enough to write. Certainly in his late primary school years and his high school years and the years when the Triffids started forming he wrote a lot of short stories, poetry, and obviously songs and the house is clearly the backdrop to this material. even in later songs it's there and remembered in that respect. —Jill Birt

She went on to express her disdain for Western Australia's tendency to forget about heritage and culture.

When we were in Europe, we were invited to London for the unveiling of a plaque on a building with The Triffids name on it - on the building where we recorded our album Born Sandy Devotional. That building was in quite a derelict part of town. This council put a plaque up on a building where we recorded, so I find it's kind of odd that the Peppermint Grove council now doesn't think that the very house where the band started out is not worth saving. —Jill Birt

In October 2008, the Shire of Peppermint Grove approved the demolition of the building, although the Shire President did indicate that there was a desire among his fellow councillors to see at least the main rooms of The Cliffe relocated to a local park.

We need to investigate the costs of relocating and ask the community for its point of view but I personally believe it's a valuable building and worth saving. —Brian Kavanagh