Heritage Consultants Do It Again
Last week I posted an article that had been written as something of a "positive PR" piece for the consultants who roam our streets looking to "protect and serve" the greater public from the dastardly developer and property investor. Here is an excerpt:
"Ian Travers, president of the Australian branch of the International Committee on Monuments and Sites — a global non-government organisation made up of cultural heritage professionals — is part of a push to fight the perception that heritage protection is red tape. “It’s partly down to the failure of our own community in communicating what we do,” Mr Travers said. “It’s not just red tape; it’s there for a reason,” he said. “It’s done under a legislative framework to benefit the community.” " March 17, 2018 Domain.com.au
I dont believe they are doing themselves any favours when you look at recent decisions. Read the below articles and make your own decision.
Urban Developer 28/03/18
A central component of the $250 million Queen Victoria Market redevelopment has been rejected in a move that has “blindsided” the City of Melbourne.
In what council describe as a “baffling decision”, Heritage Victoria have rejected planned works to the historic sheds, built between 1878 and 1922.
The council had planned to dismantle and reconstruct sheds A to D, and while they were under restoration, dig three levels of underground parking and service areas for traders.
Removal of the sheds was vital to the broader redevelopment plan for the seven-hectare site.
Heritage Victoria told the council on Tuesday it would not proceed with this plan.
Related reading: Queen Victoria Market Renewal seeks Heritage Permit for Development
Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood says council would be appealing this decision.
“Strengthening of the heritage sheds must occur: it is an OHS issue (Occupational Health and Safety), they are at danger of buckling during strong winds. If you don't renovate and repair heritage structures they will crumble, fall and be lost forever,” Wood said.
“I find it hard to believe that they can restore the Parthenon but we can't restore the heritage sheds at Queen Victoria Market.”
The council has spent more than $15 million planning its revamp.
Related reading: How Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Redevelopment will revitalise the city
Heritage Victoria began assessing the council’s plan in October 2017, and on Tuesday told council it did not accept assurances the sheds could be returned in their original condition.
Heritage Victoria also believes the fabric of the 19th-century market would be irreversibly altered should the plan go ahead.
news.com.au 26/03/18
A DECREPIT South Melbourne miner’s cottage might be “about as small as they get”, but its price hopes are anything but.With rotten floors and a caved-in roof, the well-worn one-bedder at 135 Eastern Rdoccupies a tiny 90sq m block and is completely uninhabitable, despite its $820,000-$900,000 price guide.
“There’s not much left of it and this one is very small — it’s about as small as they get,” said Greg Hocking Holdsworth director Warwick Gardiner.
Despite its condition, the weary weatherboard cannot simply be knocked over because of a heritage overlay.But Mr Gardiner said appeals could be made to remove such restrictions, especially on derelict properties.“I suspect this property would fall in this category,” he said
The pint-sized project might seem daunting to some, but it could pay off big time for a nifty renovator or developer.
Mr Gardiner said the average block size in the area was between 150-180sq m, and while this property was smaller, it still had the potential for a three-bedroom house to be built on it.
The addition of a second storey could provide views of the city and Albert Park Lake, Mr Gardiner said.
“It was built in the same era on similar land and the new owners have gone up and out,” Mr Gardiner said.“A three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on a site like that can work.”
South Melbourne’s median house price rose a hefty 56.3 per cent to $1.5 million over the three years to December 2017, CoreLogic data shows.
Originally published as How much would you pay for this tiny decrepit home?