The final chapter of a heritage planning controversy stretching back more than two years could be closed at a planning meeting tonight (Wednesday April 14).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Councillors will vote on a City of Ballarat proposal to reverse heritage protection for a site on Lofven Street where an old mining building used to be located.
The story gained public attention in early 2019 after council received a report that a building potentially with heritage value had been partially demolished.
The iron building was reportedly set up as a pump shed for the Eureka Lead Gold Sluicing Company in the 1930s.
Heritage values were previously identified in respect of the form and fabric of the building... these elements have now been removed and so any heritage value has been lost
- Heritage consultant's report
Councillors agreed to seek a planning amendment for permanent heritage control and apply for interim heritage protection in April 2019.
The owners of the site had purchased the block of land believing there were no heritage restrictions, and had developed plans to build their family home on the land.
In August 2020 council officers had recommended the future of the building at Lofven Street - viewed by some as having heritage value, and dismissed by others as a dilapidated shed - be decided by an independent planning panel.
That decision was deferred, with the owner of the site declaring he was at their "wit's end" due to the delays and uncertainty soon afterwards.
According to an officer report published in the agenda, "the structural integrity of the shed deteriorated due to strong winds in late August 2020", leading a building surveyor to order its demolition on safety grounds.
Officers are now recommending the amendment to the planning scheme that would allow a heritage overlay be abandoned.
The report says an independent heritage consultant had advised the site was no longer significant at a local level as a result of the demolition and that a heritage overlay should not be applied.
ALSO IN THE NEWS
The letter of advice from the heritage consultant is included in the agenda and reads as follows: "From the photos that were provided to me, it appears that the demolition of the building has been undertaken in a manner that has also dislodged the foundations and the machinery bases.
"Heritage values were previously identified in respect of the form and fabric of the building... these elements have now been removed and so any heritage value has been lost."
TIMELINE
JULY 2018: The block, which is otherwise vacant apart from the shed, is purchased by its current owners.
SEPTEMBER 2020: Much debated iron shed demolished
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thankyou very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
