By NOEL MURPHY
TIGHTER laws are needed to help councils use repair orders to safeguard heritage buildings, according to the head of Deakin University’s architecture faculty.
Professor Hisham Elkadi’s call for stronger protection contrasts Planning Minister Matthew Guy’s refusal to engage on greater protection measures after the CFMEU suggested compulsory acquisition of Geelong’s dilapidated Ritz Flats.
Prof Elkadi said Heritage Victoria’s executive director could issue repair orders on sites on the Victorian Heritage Register but councils, hamstrung under planning laws from preventing demolition by neglect, needed more help to take advantage of the order option.
“There is a need to strengthen the law to help local authorities make effective use of these powers,” Prof Elkadi told the Independent.
The CFMEU recently suggested endangered heritage properties such as the Ritz could be protected by councils acquiring and selling them to a sympathetic developer. Mr Guy’s office refused to comment on the idea.
Prof Elkadi, who is also project director of a State Government-backed Vision 2 plan to revitalise central Geelong, said regulations to protect historic properties “usually fall short of dealing with, in many cases, deliberate attempts to leave the assets to deteriorate”.
Once a property was “dangerous or very expensive to restore” uncaring owners could apply to demolish it, Prof Elkadi said.
“Unfortunately, owners of listed buildings are under no statutory obligations to maintain their property in a good state of repair,” he said.
“It is therefore essential that local authorities have strategies in place to deal with this problem.”
Prof Elkadi said “culture-built” heritage held many benefits for Geelong but needed “rethinking” if the city was to be revitalised.
“Geelong is very rich with culture-built heritage that is yet to be fully recognised,” he said.
“The maintenance of culture-built heritage is essential, not only to safeguard the future of such wonderful assets but also to maintain the shell of memories that is encrypted in these assets.”
Prof Elkadi said Heritage Victoria also believed the conservation of sites on its register made an “important contribution to environmental, social and economic sustainability”.
