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The Heathmont home is one of more than 70 properties proposed for a heritage overlay by Maroondah Council. Photo: Provided.
Eastern suburbs homeowners have accused the council of “wasting” more than $240,000 on consultants over controversial heritage reform plans.
An online petition against Maroondah City Council's plans to apply planning protection to selected post-World War II buildings has been signed by 470 people since October 6.
If passed, the amendment would impose restrictions on how owners of more than 70 properties on the list are allowed to develop, alter, extend or demolish their homes, businesses and other structures. become.
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But residents said some of the sites slated to be included in the overlay were “completely dilapidated.”
Replacing the front fence, enclosing the carport with a garage door and constructing a front porch would be “virtually impossible under this new overlay,” the petition states.
“This includes updating safety railings to protect children and installing ramps for wheelchair access,” the petition reads.
A former textile manufacturer's factory in Bayswater North is one of the buildings proposed by the council to be included in the heritage overlay.
Jess Underwood, a local resident and one of the petition organizers, said the council received around 60 submissions against the proposals (including 50 objections) during a consultation period earlier this year. .
However, in August, then Mayor Cr Rob Steane said the council had received 48 submissions, both for and against the plans.
The council has appointed an independent committee to hold public hearings on the amendments from November 27-30 and December 5-6, where residents can speak to the council's heritage experts about the submissions. .
The committee will recommend whether Congress should partially or fully adopt the amendment, or abandon it entirely.
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Several shops in Murray Place, Ringwood, are included in the proposed heritage amendment, including this one.
This house in Heathmont is also on the planned list.
Ms Underwood said she would encourage Maroondah councilors to follow the example of Maribyrnong City Council, which overturned a heritage amendment in June following an outcry from local residents.
“I have yet to meet anyone in our community who thinks postwar architecture has heritage value and is worth preserving,” Underwood said.
“The majority of the homes nominated for this overlay are very simple structures and are not high-value constructions.
“Most of them have major structural problems and some are completely dilapidated.”
Heathmont house recommended for heritage listing by heritage consultants.
Other reasons for opposition include “safety concerns, property values and long-term economic security, structural integrity issues, and limited residents' ability to create homes that meet the needs of the people who live there.” ”, she added.
Underwood said one of the affected residents has a degenerative neurological disease and has been in a wheelchair for 15 years.
Mr Underwood said: “The existing interior ramp providing access to the carport is becoming inadequate and will need to be replaced with a new ramp to provide access to the front door.”
“This was all clearly detailed in the opposition submission drafted by her daughter.
“The response from the city council was that these concerns were irrelevant and not a valid reason to avoid a heritage overlay.”
A Croydon North property is one of the homes proposed for protection.
At the September council meeting, it was revealed that the council had spent $242,696 on heritage consultants over six years.
Mr Underwood said many people who signed the petition were angry that the council was “wasting” ratepayers' money to “bully homeowners”.
“They absolutely do not support their fees being used this way,” she said.
Another Ringwood Shopping Center (formerly the Ringwood Drive-in Shopping Center) has stores that the city council wants to heritage list.
Fellow petition organizer Jacinta Wilcox said she and her husband bought the Ringwood East house after an 18-month search, weeks before the council launched a community consultation on the amendments.
Mr Wilcox said: “We did not learn about the proposed amendments until May this year as the council had sent the original notice to the previous owners.”
“If a heritage overlay were to be placed on our property, it would limit our ability to build the home our family wanted to live in.”
This Heathmont house is also registered as a cultural heritage site.
Many other families are worried about probate being added to their estates, she said.
“The proposal would require homeowners to apply for a permit to install solar panels that are visible from the street,” Ms Wilcox said.
“Homeowners also have to complete custom work to preserve the original features of their home, and they have to apply for and pay for permits to complete home changes and repairs, making repairs more expensive. You will face costs.”
Maroondah Mayor Kylie Spears said the council would consider the planning committee's recommendations in early 2024.
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