Archive: State Heritage
Last Updated 13/7/15
Review of the Heritage Act: Submissions Close 31 August 2015
(13/7/15 - P) Critically important review of a critically important piece of legislation.
The State government is embarking on a review of the Heritage Act, which has now been in operation for 20 years. A discussion Paper has been produced which "identifies a range of areas to strengthen the operation of the Act" and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning [DELWP] is asking for your comments on the proposals in the Paper, and other ideas you might have.
An online survey is available from the Heritage Review webpage (below), and information forums are also proposed, as follows:
Workshops will be held on (Tuesday) 21 July 2015 at Level 15, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne. There will a morning workshop between 10 am and midday, and an afternoon workshop between 2 pm and 4 pm.
Warrnambool - Friday 17 July 2015, 10 am to midday - Civic Room, Warrnambool City Centre, 163 Timor Street, Warrnambool.
Traralgon - Friday 24 July 2015. 10 am to midday - Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, 71 Hotham Street, Traralgon.
Ballarat - Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10 am to midday - Provincial Hotel, 121 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat.
Bendigo - Thursday 30 July 2015, 10 am to midday - Auditorium, La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre, 121 View Street, Bendigo.
Wangaratta - Thursday 6 August 2015, 10 am to midday - Rural City of Wangaratta Council Chamber, Wangaratta Government Centre, 1st Floor, 62 Ovens Street, Wangaratta.
Heritage Victoria staff will be available to answer questions from participants after the forums between 12-1 pm
To attend, RSVP to Heritage.ActReview@delwp.vic.gov.au with 'RSVP' as the subject, identifying which workshop you wish to attend, including preference for the morning or afternoon Melbourne workshops. Numbers are limited and attendance will be on a 'first come' basis.
You can find out more from the Heritage Review webpage:
http://www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/heritage/about-heritage-in-victoria/heritage-act-review-2015
MRRA Says:
This review is looking at some really hefty elements of heritage protection. The papers produced by the Department are fairly straightforward and give an insight into the issues, and what you are being asked to comment on. Make sure you have your say.
Heritage And Urban Design Survey - Have Your Say
(11/7/11 - P) Online survey: evaluate the government's heritage and urban design programs and services. Closes August 26.
The Department of Planning and Community Development [DPCD] is inviting people with an interest in heritage and urban design to take an online survey to help understand whether their services are meeting expectations for heritage and urban design. Anticipated to take 5 - 10 minutes, depending on the length of answers, you can access the survey by going to:
(2/11/10 - P) Monumental FAIL for State government on planning and heritage issues, say National Trust and other groups
Here's a copy of a letter sent to The Age newsletter, calling for major reform as the Brumby government puts development above saving heritage. It sums up much of the flawed processes and outcomes the State government is now pushing through.
"Dear Editor,
We, the undersigned, believe that urgent reforms are needed to planning legislation and processes in Melbourne. The Victorian Government’s use of current processes has clearly favoured development over heritage protection, rather than achieving a balance between the two. We have already lost Lonsdale House, and many other buildings have been demolished or are under threat.
Increasingly developers are submitting, and having approved, outrageous proposals that destroy heritage buildings, and ignore height restrictions, density controls and setback limits. We ask all political parties to make public before the election, explicit policies that will improve heritage protection measures. We urge the public to vote to ensure our priceless heritage remains for future generations.
In particular, we are calling for:
1. A review of the role and processes of Heritage Victoria. Heritage Victoria is not fulfilling community expectations for the protection of Melbourne’s most significant heritage. Its decisions cannot be appealed by third parties. The ‘economic use’ clause in the Victorian Heritage Act 1995 must go. It is inappropriate for a heritage body to make decisions about places like the Windsor Hotel based on economic arguments presented by developers that are not made publicly available.
2. Removal of the Minister for Planning’s powers as 'Responsible Authority' for projects over 25,000 sq metres in the CBD. This figure dates from the early 1980s when such projects were rare, but now they are the norm, giving the Minister enormous influence over the future planning of the CBD.
3. No more Ministerial 'instant amendments' to the Melbourne Planning Scheme that facilitate large development. This process allows the Minster to effectively approve a development without public notice and does not allow for any appeals. 'Instant amendments' were used to allow the demolition of Lonsdale House and the 1908 Postal Building at the rear of Myer Bourke, removing any possibility of appeal.
The community expects that the city of Melbourne’s important heritage buildings will be properly protected by appropriate legislation and transparency in Government planning processes.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Purslow
Chief Executive Officer
National Trust Victoria
Rupert Mann
President, Melbourne Heritage Action
Robin Grow
President, Art Deco & Modernism Society
Melbourne, Australia
Michael Kennedy
President, Eastenders Inc
Kevin Chamberlain
Convenor, North and West Melbourne Association
Barbara Patterson
East Melbourne Group"
PLEASE GO TO THE 2011 ADDRESS FOR PLANNING ISSUES: www.dpcd.vic.gov.au
Heritage Planning Scheme Provisions Advisory Committee Report Now Available
(14/12/07 - P) Final recommendation on changes to State Heritage Overlay seem to take on board MRRA's submission
This huge report (300 pages) is available on the Department Of Planning and Community Development's website, Review of Heritage Provisions in planning schemes - report of the Advisory Committee.
If this link doesn't work, go to
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenpl.nsf/childdocs/-86737A2D8EF0DF03CA2572FF0025BB8C-E82B85B30B18B0A4CA2572FF00270933?open
and scroll down the page to Heritage Provisions Review.
MRRA Says:
This review has been comprehensive, and contains 154 recommendations. MRRA supports almost all of these, and believes they will provide significantly improved clarity, certainty and consistency on heritage issues for all stakeholders.
We are still working our way through the many parts of the report. There are a large number of fairly technical and procedural/administrative matters dealt with, as well as sections addressing how planning scheme provisions work (or don't, as the case might be).
Changing State level planning scheme provisions (e.g. the Heritage overlay) is a major focus of the review and it seems MRRA may have had an influence on this.
Addition of schedules to the Heritage overlay to recognize different elements of heritage and allow them to be dealt with differently e.g. permit requirements and exemptions, was clearly already on the Advisory Committee's mind, as evidenced in the Consultation Paper issued earlier this year for public comment.
In response to that paper, MRRA proposed a new Heritage Reference overlay with flexible schedules that could be adapted to apply to a range of heritage features with which there are already difficulties or which are inadequately addressed by the current provisions; could be crafted to better fit the on-ground situation; be more explicit about applicable controls and outcomes sought for a range of heritage items and features; and could also allow Councils to fine-tune local details of provisions to be applied to most heritage sites. The Advisory Committee has recommended those types of flexible schedules be included with the existing Heritage overlay, which will also be modified. Four new key schedules are currently recommended - individual sites; precincts and areas of broader - and natural - heritage significance; gardens and planned landscapes; and a schedule for interim listing of heritage sites. More new schedules may be added later.
We are really pleased about this, although it's not quite as cut and dried as it might sound - other submitters supported and made suggestions about various forms of overlays, and the Committee has additionally recommended other actions and changes that integrate with and complement the introduction of these schedules.
Nevertheless, we feel we have made a positive contribution (although the devil is always in the detail) and are downright chuffed that the Committee has used the justifications we put forward for our proposal (almost word for word) to justify their proposal (see page 5 - 233).
We are also gratified that the Committee recommends sweeping changes to how cultural landscapes and geological/geomorphological features can be better protected, concerns about which we raised in our submission.
We just might have to put this one down as a small win for MRRA!
Review Of State Heritage Planning Controls - Comments In By 30 April*
(28/3/07 - P) Consultation Paper now available from DSE
The Department of Sustainability and Environment is inviting comments on potential changes to how heritage planning controls work. There is a Consultation Paper available (warning: it's large) which discusses the issues that are being considered and in most instances makes draft recommendations about how those issues could be handled within the planning system. Go to the DSE website www.dse.vic.gov.au/planning to look at the Consultation Paper and get more information about making comments. *30th April is the closing date shown on the DSE website.