Royal Exhibition Building commentary misses the mark, demonstrates need for Melbourne City heritage reform

Arguments for explicit Royal Exhibition Building sightlines lack evidence

Recent commentary on the Royal Exhibition Building fails to consider the tradeoffs of the World Heritage Environs Area with regards to housing and liveability in the surrounding area.

An enormous segment of Melbourne’s inner-city should not be forced to remain low-density, low-amenity, and in some cases derelict, just for the sake of retaining an empty skyline for the sake of one single old structure.

There is no evidence that the retention of the building’s silhouette is important to its value. What is clear is that there is immense value to be found in how Melburnians and tourists alike visit, use, and engage with it.

More buildings in the area—many of which would provide housing for people who would then be able to regularly access and enjoy the Royal Exhibition Building—would have a positive rather than negative impact on the building’s ability to provide value.

Carparks, Cancer Council, and more brings heritage legitimacy into question

The City of Melbourne is no stranger to taking heritage protections too far.

Last year, the City made the misguided decision to place a giant concrete car park under heritage protection.

They also voted to block the redevelopment of the dilapidated Cancer Council building due in no small part to heritage considerations.

These overly-expansive heritage policies mean that even non-heritage sites are prevented from delivering more homes during our worsening housing crisis.

Few things make this more clear than a policy that blocks meaningful density across more than 136 acres of inner-city land to protect a building already at the centre of a 64 acre public park.

YIMBY Melbourne offers a guide for sensible City of Melbourne Heritage Strategy

Heritage controls cover 69% of City of Melbourne lots zoned to allow housing, and 56% of all developable land in the LGA. It is clear that the city needs less, not more heritage.

The City of Melbourne is currently taking feedback on the development of a new Heritage Strategy. It is clear that the council does not yet grasp the problematic nature of its heritage policies.

YIMBY Melbourne has prepared a City of Melbourne Heritage Strategy consultation guide, which you can view here.

Quotes attributable to Jonathan O’Brien, Lead Organiser

“The Royal Exhibition Building is a great example of a heritage building. It’s great because people can use it, they can engage with it, they can take exams and get married in it.”

“The idea that this building is only valuable so long as there is no meaningful densification of the surrounding area is absurd.”

“We have to be able to balance heritage and the fact that Melbourne is a growing city.”