Anzac Hall demolition nears finish as roof torn off former war memorial exhibition hall

Early works to begin the hall's demolition first began in June following the removal of a number of trees.

Construction workers and heavy machinery soon rolled in earlier this month to undertake the task of pulling down the 20-year-old building after the war memorial was granted approval.

It's expected the hall's demolition will be completed by mid-September. A new, larger Anzac Hall will be built in its place once approved and will host a collection of items from more recent engagements in Syria and Afghanistan.

The changes form part of a 10-year $500 million plan to expand the Australian War Memorial.

Apart from the demolition of Anzac Hall, initial plans also include an extension to the underground car park and excavations to prepare for a new southern entrance.

A spokesperson for the Australian War Memorial confirmed the large fenced-off area along Limestone Avenue was apart of the excavation works.

"The area at the front of the Memorial is being fenced off by hoardings as part of the early works package ahead of excavation works, all of which has been approved by the NCA," a spokesperson said.

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Key opponents to the Anzac Hall's demolition have criticised the development for its detriment to the national institute's heritage value.

Australian Heritage Council chairman and former Liberal member Dr David Kemp wrote last year he could not support the proposed changes, stating it would be detrimental to the site's overall aesthetic.

War memorial director Matt Anderson in response hit back at critics, arguing its heritage value would actually increase due to the stories it would be able to tell.

"The heritage value of Anzac Hall is the stories that are told within it, not the blade wall and the roof line," he told The Canberra Times in April.

"If we're doubling the space available to tell the stories, we're doubling the heritage value of that building, and of the memorial's power to tell the story of continuing service and sacrifice.

"We're just not doing that, we're not meeting that obligation to be fair to contemporary veterans, modern veterans, in the same way we've told the stories of their forebears."

Plans for the full decade-long development have yet to be approved.

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