Melbourne's heritage must be protected
Melbourne is lucky to have retained much of its amazing heritage and stunning open spaces. But as we all know, we’re losing our heritage at an alarming rate.
Late last year, the Royal Historical Society of Victoria published Remember Melbourne 1850-1960. The book details the loss of more than 320 grand buildings across our city.
Many of these buildings were spectacular examples of period architecture which have been replaced, for the most part, with rather bland blocks of steel, concrete, and glass dating from the 1960s and 1970s.
Melburnians have much to be concerned about when it comes to heritage protection. Far too often cherished icons are reduced to rubble in the face of developer greed. Developers will eagerly raze historic buildings or pierce quaint streetscapes just to make a quick buck.
Recently, we saw one of the most brazen developers illegally demolish the Corkman Irish Pub in Carlton. Following huge community outrage (which I was happy to be a part of!) at this despicable act, the Heritage Bill 2016 was introduced into Parliament.
It’s a step in the right direction as it increases the penalties for developers who ignore heritage values and provides a more transparent application and review process for Heritage Victoria.
However, this is not enough. There is much more that needs to be done.I would like to see local government empowered with much stronger heritage protections instead of having to rely on malleable planning overlays.
We must also reassess the role of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Its arbitrations too often reflect developer interests rather than community will. Unfortunately the changes promised by the Andrews Government to give the community more influence over VCAT have not made any difference, as we pointed out before the election.
The community often faces many difficulties in dealing with Heritage Victoria. It’s no coincidence that these difficulties arose when Heritage Victoria was gutted of funding by the previous Coalition Government.
Heritage Victoria lost its capacity to process heritage registration applications or to intervene when breaches of the Heritage Act 1995 occurred. The current Government has provided $30 million in funding to try and fix the many problems but this funding has been largely used for administration, not to rehabilitate the budget and to expand the capacity of Heritage Victoria.
The Greens are working at all levels of government to protect Melbourne’s heritage. Greens Councillor Rohan Leppert recently gained the Heritage portfolio, and the City of Melbourne has recently embarked on more heritage reviews than have been undertaken in a generation.
Stronger local controls cannot come soon enough. Protecting Melbourne’s heritage is an integral part of not just building a city, but building a welcoming community.
Please get in touch with me on 9328 4637 or at [email protected] if you would like to discuss how we can work together to protect Melbourne's heritage.
Ellen Sandell State MP for Melbourne
Note: This piece was originally published in the East Melbourne Magazine. Ellen is currently on maternity leave until mid-year, after the birth of her first child. The office will remain open and Ellen’s staff and Greens colleagues can help local residents with any concerns or issues, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 03 9328 4637.
- The Office of Ellen Sandell