By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
PUBLIC embarrassment through the media is the most effective way of convincing “recalcitrant” owners of neglected buildings to take action, a private council briefing has revealed.
The draft briefing, prepared for Moyne Shire Council, included advice from City of Greater Geelong officers on the handling of derelict buildings.
Port Fairy consultant Heritage Matters prepared the briefing, investigating the potential use of local laws to control deliberate neglect of significant heritage buildings.
The City has battled Ritz Flats owner Tim Truong for years over the state of the former Belle Vue Hotel in Bellarine St.
The building was recently fenced off amid fears large cracks compromised its public safety.
The City issued an emergency order following an engineer’s report.
“Officers further indicated that in the City of Greater Geelong the most effective method for getting recalcitrant owners to appropriately maintain or, if not inclined to do so, to sell buildings listed under the heritage overlay has been through repeated negative coverage in the local media,” the Moyne briefing said.
“For this approach to be effective, the mayor and or relevant councillors need to be committed to this course of action coupled with fairly intensive discussions with property owners to explain or help develop options for the heritage-listed buildings.
“An additional approach suggested by officers was the introduction of an empty building tax through a differential or higher rating regime for heritage-listed properties allowed to remain vacant and fall into disrepair.”
The briefing noted a gap in enforcement measures available under state and local laws.
Councils were “generally reluctant” to take legal action in cases of apparent deliberate neglect unless all other approaches had been exhausted, the briefing said.
Potential difficulties in determining what constituted good repair and the time and costs involved were barriers.
The briefing said penalties were generally ineffective against most building owners, with Geelong’s local law providing only a $1000 fine.
City of Geelong CEO Stephen Griffin confirmed council would investigate the use of a higher differential rate to convince owners of neglected buildings to maintain or develop their properties.
