Feature Image: Credit Krista Purmale on Unsplash

The National Trust has called upon the State Government to invest in the heritage protections system and cultural heritage as a wider industry to combat challenges the new Plan for Victoria seeks to address.

In August we submitted to consultation on the Big Ideas for shaping Victoria’s future, encouraging, incentives for incorporation of heritage building stock, landscapes and trees into development design for liveability, and assurances that Local Councils and communities are supported to be part of decision-making about change to their places.

When properly considered and integrated into planning processes, heritage provides an opportunity for thoughtful and innovative design solutions that protect what the community values and provide great places to live, work and play.

In-principle, the National Trust supports densification in heritage areas so long as it is managed in such a way that strengthens and enhances the cultural heritage values of our places. While the new Plan for Victoria, has its genesis in Victoria’s Housing Statement: The decade ahead 2024-2034, and consultation has maintained a strong focus on improving housing, we do not believe this should limit heritage considerations to only the value heritage places add to neighbourhood character. Indeed, properly valuing our heritage provides proven solutions to many of the identified issues the new Plan seeks to solve, including sustainable housing supply;

1. 80% of Australians are involved in at least one heritage activity every year and the majority were involved in more than one.
2. Listed heritage buildings at best achieve premium prices in terms of property sales (and at worst prices that are no different to unlisted buildings).
3. Over 90% of buildings on the VHR [Victorian Heritage Register] are in use every day by people and businesses. They are not monuments.
4. The social benefits of engaging with heritage include networks, friendships, exercise, creative inspiration and mental health benefits.
5. The greenest building is the one that already exists – if we ignore embodied carbon we underestimate the emissions from new buildings by 25%. Demolishing an existing building and replacing it with a new one contributes to an increase in carbon emissions.
6. Caring about your neighbourhood builds social connections and has wellbeing benefits.
7. Old buildings are good for creative industries. They are also great places to meet and enjoy events.
8. Heritage is worth $1.1bn to the Victorian economy each year (and that is an underestimate).
9. Culture and heritage visitors spend more and stay longer than other visitors.
10. Less than 10% of buildings in Victoria have heritage protections. (Why Heritage: A synthesis of evidence for the social, economic and environmental impacts of heritage, 2023)

However, despite the overwhelming proof, heritage on all fronts is being called into question through a spread of misconceptions scapegoating our protection systems for contributing to the housing crisis and locking up developable land. This is a single-minded approach to planning.

“Protecting heritage means ‘freezing’ sites”

False. Inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) or a local council Heritage Overlay does not stop development or change. The system of planning and heritage permits allows heritage sites and objects to be adapted, altered and changed.  Only four heritage permits were refused by Heritage Victoria in 2020-21. Over 90% of sites on the VHR are in use every day as businesses or homes – they are not monuments, and the others are often industrial remains or sites that add character and distinctiveness to local places.  Owners (and others) spent $1.25 billion on heritage building works in Victoria in 2021-2 (nearly 3% of all investment in building permits). (Why Heritage: A synthesis of evidence for the social, economic and environmental impacts of heritage, 2023)

Such campaigns are being used against the inclusion of Heritage Overlays in our local planning schemes, and our state system for Cultural Heritage Management Plans, which provides an essential fulfilment of the rights of Victorian Traditional Owners to protect their cultural heritage.

What makes Melbourne one of the most liveable cities in the world is our vibrant culture, underpinned by our heritage. By embracing Country, First Nations culture, and heritage we only bring more richness and vibrancy into our places. Good housing solutions reflect the values of the communities they serve. We don’t need endless suburbs built over Country, we need nuanced and enriching development that embraces the things we love about our cities.

Misguided attacks that target our heritage protection systems as the key culprit in the housing crisis are ignorant of what’s required to make Victoria a great place to live. Despite these simplistic perceptions having been repeatedly disproven, such scare tactics are still receiving an undue amount of media and government attention, bending support away from good planning outcomes.

We believe the State Government needs to show leadership in addressing the negative perception of what heritage controls actually do. We know heritage is not a stopper on development or the economy, in fact it is a system that generates more jobs, greater economic contributions and sustainable quality buildings for our society. This is why investment in our heritage protections system and cultural heritage as a wider industry and community value will provide crucial contributions to the liveability we seek in our towns and cities.

Key National Trust recommendations to the new Plan for Victoria consultation include;

• Recognition of the economic, sustainable, wellbeing, education and creative innovation benefits the heritage industry provides for liveability in Victoria
• State Government leadership in condemning misinformed anti-heritage rhetoric targeting heritage protection systems as the key culprit in the housing crisis
• Innovative design solutions and adaptive reuse programs that sustainably utilise our existing building stock to address the need for increased housing supply
• Establishment of a dedicated heritage planning unit within the Department for Transport and Planning to support Local Councils
• Effective protections and programs for increasing open green space and canopy cover on private and public land
• Exploration of planned density increases through detailed context specific assessments of local areas
• Investment in creating vibrant communities in the wider regions, beyond regional centres

Read our full submission here.