Planning Minister scraps amendment, tells council to manage local heritage
Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne has ordered that a controversial planning amendment be removed amid concerns Boroondara Council was failing to protect heritage homes.
VIC News
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A controversial planning amendment in Melbourne’s inner east has been rescinded in a bid to end the heritage confusion that led to some old homes being demolished.
Planning Minister Richard Wynne said he ordered the change 18 months after amendment C299 was introduced amid concerns Boroondara Council was failing to protect heritage-listed homes.
“The onus is now on Boroondara Council to properly manage its local heritage,” Mr Wynne said.
“It’s encouraging Boroondara has agreed to change its processes to identify heritage homes sooner, to ensure they are protected.”
The move to scrap the amendment — the only one in place in a Victorian council — comes after two heritage properties on Auburn Rd, Hawthorn, were bulldozed in the past four months amid blame-shifting between the state government and the Camberwell-based council.
The bureaucratic uncertainty meant demolition permits were approved for houses, only for heritage protection to be sought months later, when builders had been secured and diggers were about to start work.
The council has been calling for the state overlay to be removed but the government said it had to act because the council had shifted the goalposts in its planning processes.
Community outrage over the loss of heritage properties included residents filing a 5000-signature petition in May seeking to save Auburn Rd’s Currajong House from demolition.
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Boroondara Council had called on the government to scrap what it called a “loophole” that allowed property owners with a building permit to override heritage overlays and demolish older buildings.
Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith, a critic of the amendment, called the decision a “huge win for Boroondara residents”.
Boroondara mayor Cynthia Watson said the council requested removal of the amendment seven times last year.
“We also wrote to all local members of state parliament and Premier Daniel Andrews seeking assistance to have Amendment C299 removed, to no effect,’’ Cr Watson said.
“The minister’s attempt to rewrite history by claiming his long-overdue decision to remove Amendment C299 is part of any ‘agreement’ with the City of Boroondara is bordering on comedic.
“There is no agreement in place - indeed, all we have are repeated requests for the minister to correct what was the extremely prejudicial step of introducing Amendment C299 in the first place.
“The Minister chose to target the community of Boroondara and has clearly realised the error of his ways.
“It is most disingenuous of the minister to talk about repeated failures by council when he is the one controlling the system which allows these issues to arise. ‘’