CALL TO HERITAGE ACTION

This is Charles Sowerwine’s letter in full that was sent to historical societies and community action groups in late November. A template letter that can be adapted and sent to the Minister follows. You can read two further articles here: Hong Kong Without the View  and Charter 29 Planning System Reforms

 

25 November 2024

To all RHSV members and historical societies,

Dear Friends,

I am writing to ask you to take action in the face of recently announced government plans to facilitate intense development across Victoria while giving short shrift to heritage.

The proposed changes would place much of Melbourne and many regional centres under the Activity Centre zone, extended by a new ‘Walkable Catchment Zone’, in which six-storey or higher development will be encouraged in every way possible way and in which heritage and neighbourhood character will take the back seat.

In these areas, the ‘Walkable Catchment Zone’ will replace the existing Neighbourhood Residential Zone, which has strict height controls in line with the conservation objectives of the Heritage Overlay and whose stated objectives include heritage and neighbourhood character. These are omitted from the new Zone! That will allow the objectives of the Heritage Overlay to be challenged at every turn in favour of any project that provides more housing. We explain the risks in the article for the December issue of History News (Attachment 1). 

Yes, let’s support more housing in places where people want to live. But places will become far less sought after if we forget what makes them desirable in the first place. If we destroy heritage to build housing, Melbourne will become ‘Hong Kong without the view’, a collection of soulless high-rise buildings. Heritage makes Melbourne marvellous and makes our regional towns and cities attractive as tourist beacons and signposts to our history. Heritage enhances a neighbourhood’s soul and character, and provides focal points and historical perspectives. We need housing and heritage, housing that preserves, respects and is integrated with heritage.

Planning reform should ensure development that not only adds housing but also gives people neighbourhoods that include heritage, neighbourhoods where people want to live. That will mean adapting heritage housing and building new housing that exists in harmony with and draws charm and focus from existing heritage. The National Trust has made this point in a blog entitled ‘TIMBY: Thoughtfully in my back yard’ (https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/blog/timby-thoughtfully-in-my-back-yard-a-case-for-more-thoughtful-development/). Charter 29, a group of highly respected planners, has just issued a thorough report on the plan (Attachment 2), which you can consult for further information.

We urge you and your local historical society to take action. Contact your local council to ascertain the effects on your area of the proposed changes. Write to your local MP and to the Minister for Planning. To help in this, we provide a pro forma letter (Addendum below) that you can use or, better yet, adapt and send.

The Minister plans to have this radical new planning system in place by Christmas so we need to move swiftly to persuade the government to make heritage a planning priority.

Best wishes, 

Charles Sowerwine, Chair,

Heritage Committee, RHSV

 

 

Pro forma letter to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny: 

The Hon Sonya Kilkenny MP

Minister for Planning

Minister for the Suburbs

Email: sonya.kilkenny@parliament.vic.gov.au

Member for Carrum

622 Nepean Highway

Carrum 3197

Ph: 9773-2727 

Dear Minister,

I/we write to express concern about your proposed planning changes. We support your efforts to build more housing, but we believe that new housing development must preserve the heritage of the subject areas in order to be attractive. We note that the proposals for more Activity Centres and for their extension via the new Walkable Catchment Zone do not include heritage conservation as one of the aims.

Some of our best heritage precincts are around railway stations and Activity Centres. These are precincts that contribute in a significant way to what makes Melbourne and Victoria’s regional towns and cities distinctive and liveable, giving them unique character and appeal.

At present the conservation of most of these precincts is supported by the Neighbourhood Residential Zone, which has strict height controls, in line with the conservation objectives of the Heritage Overlay. You are proposing fifty new Activity Centres. Around the new and existing Activity Centres, you propose to replace the Neighbourhood Residential Zone with the new Walkable Catchment Zone, which will be primarily designed to prioritise and facilitate development, with no provisions requiring the successful integration of heritage assets.

This would allow the objectives of the Heritage Overlay to be challenged in these areas in favour of any project that provides more housing.

We support more housing in places where people want to live. But places will become far less sought after if we forget what makes them desirable in the first place.

We ask you to ensure that

1) heritage conservation is included as one of the purposes of the Walkable Catchment Zone;

2) the Walkable Catchment Zone includes mechanisms to conciliate development with heritage covered under the Heritage Overlay;

3) the new zones incorporate heritage protection into shaping the new developments so that each area’s unique character is maintained and enhanced.

Yours sincerely,