Maroondah heritage half-win shows flaws in system

Maroondah heritage process characterised by errors and protest

Previous reporting from realestate.com.au highlighted the 500+ signature petition against the overlays, as well as community frustration with the process. In response, the council sent the amendment to a planning panel.

The panel heard the numerous objections and mistakes made by the consultants at Built Heritage Pty Ltd, including incorrect descriptions of several properties deemed to have heritage significance.

In a submission against the heritage listing of three properties, grouped under HO0187, the local Ringwood & District Historical Society declared that the consultant’s assumptions were factually incorrect, and there was “no evidence of heritage value or significance to Ringwood”.

Despite this, the planning panel fully retained the properties under the overlay.

Heritage overlay destroys family savings

Homeowners Jacinta and Rohan Willcocks bought into Maroondah in 2022, with the intention of undertaking a knockdown-rebuild to house their growing family. But their home falls within the bounds of HO0187. If imposed, this overlay will make housing their family impossible.

The Willcocks are now trapped. With the overlay destroying an estimated $147,000 of their home’s value, they’re unable to sell without being plunged into debt and losing their life savings.

Despite this, during the hearings, the panel stated that: “[they do not] consider heritage controls will impact housing policy or affordability”. The panel recommended keeping the Willcocks trapped.

Echoes of 2023’s Maribyrnong heritage debacle

Last year, Maribyrnong rejected a similar post-war heritage overlay on the grounds that “financial impacts on property owners outweigh the benefits associated with heritage protection”.

Maroondah has the opportunity to use this precedent to make an on-balance assessment of the heritage overlay—which plainly does not present meaningful net community benefit.

It is now up to the council to decide if they value a house deemed even by the local historical society to have “no heritage value”, over the life of a young family.

Quotes attributable to Jacinta Willcocks, affected homeowner

“We had a newborn and a toddler when we first became aware of the proposal, the stress and emotional toll this has taken on us has been overwhelming. Especially, at a time when we should have been just focusing on our children.”

“My husband and I tried to do everything right. We scrimped and saved for over ten years to afford a modest property in Ringwood and went to dozens of failed auctions. To have a heritage action applied within weeks after settlement – and the very real possibility that we will now be forced to either sell at a loss or go through multiple rounds of approvals at huge extra expense - is a real slap in the face.”

“We really struggle to see how placing a heritage overlay on our home will benefit the broader community. Especially when the home is so tucked away from sight and nobody in the actual community is asking for it to happen. Many of the homes listed in this amendment are unsightly, run-down and arguably reduce the neighborhood’s character.”

“We feel so unheard right now. We as property owners don’t want this. No one in the street or the wider neighbourhood wants this. Even our local historical society does not support the inclusion of our home on the amendment. But we’re basically at the point of begging Councillors not to derail our lives for the foreseeable future.”

“Our life has been on hold for almost a year now. Before this amendment was proposed we were so excited about our future and now we feel pretty hopeless. We can only hold out hope that Council hears our pleas and those of our neighbours who are also impacted by this.”

“The uncertainty is a real mental killer. We keep being told “you can still make changes” but there are no guidelines and no guarantees on getting permissions. We could spend $10,000s on design plans and get knocked back multiple times. What young family can afford that these days?”

Contact with Jacinta available at journalist’s request.

Quotes attributable to Jonathan O’Brien, Lead Organiser

“Heritage consultants routinely destroy the lives of families.”

“The heritage industry is an example of regulatory capture by a tiny number of people with very specific interests with no clear accountability and no clear regard to how it affects people’s lives.”

“The more homes these consultants can list within an overlay, the more potential future clients they manufacture. The perverse incentives are abundantly clear.”

“Maroondah Council has the opportunity now to follow the positive example of Maribyrnong Council, recognise the undue costs of heritage, and do what’s right by rejecting this planning scheme amendment.”

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