Wednesday, October 20, 2004

400 rally for Sacred Heart Church

Saturday saw a large rally protesting the demolition of the Church and related buildings at the corner of Victoria and Oxford Streets (see Paul Keating story below).

The Catholic Church wants to build a medical centre on the site, close to St Vincents Hospital and under the Auspices of the Catholic Notre Dame University, based in Perth.

The church offered a compromise proposition which was supported by Clover Moore at the meeting but rejected by the rally.

The Archdiocese now proposes to preserve the 1880 school building & keep most of the church nave. The church would be closed, 18 to 20 metres of the east section of the church demolished, the mosaic made in the Vatican mosaic workshop removed to some unspecified location, and a six storey building for the medical school attached to the nave and going over to Victoria Street. There would be one office for a priest and an underground carpark. Rally organiser Laelie Schwartz said she didn't think it reasonable that the parish or community should have to book a room in competitioin with the university to be able to use the facilities.

A new community group was being formed to fight the re-development, with representatives from existing resident groups 2011 and DRAG. Click the headline to see pictures from the church - click 'gallery'.

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