UP to 150 of Gawler’s 604 contributory heritage items could become local heritage items, a $200,000 investigation has concluded.

Gawler councillors were presented with a final report from Flightpath Architects on the viability of transitioning various historic properties and infrastructure and from contributory to local heritage items at a special meeting on Thursday night.

Elected members voted to endorse the investigation and proceed with a statement of intent for a Development Plan Amendment (DPA) to be sent to planning minister Stephan Knoll.

The council voted to spend $200,000 on an external investigation in August over fears the State Government’s new Planning and Design Code would fail to adequately protect contributory items from demolition.

Gawler Mayor Karen Redman said it was “critical” Gawler’s heritage be given tough protections.

“Council has been advocating for contributory items to be specifically recognised in the new Planning and Design Code, as they play a vital role in reflecting the historic character as they form part of a cohesive group of buildings and demonstrate a defining period in Gawler’s history,” he said.

“Gawler is unique in the high quality and extent of its built heritage, which is something to be very proud of. As custodians of this heritage stock, we have a responsibility to ensure we preserve this legacy for generations to come.”

An initial investigation tabled in December found 373 of the 604 items would have a chance of meeting the local heritage criteria, with 250 “likely” to meet the guidelines and a further 123 which “may meet” them.

The final report revealed only 150 items could possibly meet the criteria and will be included in the statement of intent.

Some of the contributory items to be included in council’s submission include the Willaston Bridge, the gaming room building of the Willaston Hotel and a number of shops on Murray Street.

The former Anglican Church Hall on Adelaide Road and the former Willaston Uniting Church Hall were both initially listed as likely to be eligible for local heritage transition, but were not named in the latest report.

Councillor Ian Tooley, who opposed the investigation from its inception, said the reports outcome meant the $200,000 spent on it was unjustified.

“Putting things on the register, without doing anything else creates no guarantee that these buildings will not continue to rot away in Gawler,” he said.

“With this $200,000, they (council) have got less buildings on it (the statement of intent) then they thought. It’s not going to carry any weight with the State Government and at the end of the day it’s not going to do one thing to improve the quality or restoration of those buildings.”

According to the report, a response from Mr Knoll and the Department of Planning, Transport (DPTI) and Infrastructure on whether the statement of intent is suitable and any recommended changes is expected within 10 weeks.

During this time period, it is expected council staff will create a draft DPA to be released for public consultation “at the earliest opportunity” after Mr Knoll’s and DPTI’s review.