By Alesha Capone
A study of Wyndham’s historic sites has found many are “at risk of demolition or inappropriate development” due to a lack of recorded details about their significance.
The details were included Heritage Gap Study presented at a Wyndham council meeting last month.
The council engaged heritage consultants Context GML to prepare the study, the first in a series of three aimed at identifying, documenting and protecting places of historic significance across the municipality, in December, 2019.
Cr Susan McIntyre said that the council had previously prepared a study of heritage places in 1997, with a review conducted in 2004.
Cr McIntyre noted that the latest study focused on heritage sites of post-European settlement, with much of indigenous heritage managed under separate legislation.
The study classified 92 existing heritage sites in Wyndham as “high priority” as they are “believed to be under threat (of neglect, demolition, development plans for the area)”.
The document said “many existing place citations lack details and Statements of Significance do not clearly identify the features or elements that are significant about the place”.
The report recommended updating these details in the council’s heritage overlay and other records.
The sites listed as high priority included the Werribee Guides Hall, Cobbledicks Ford and Reserve, Werribee Racecourse, Werribee Primary School and Little River Uniting Church.
Cr McIntyre said some post-war houses in Werribee “are not currently represented well in the heritage overlay and are in danger of demolition”.
A list of potential heritage places, including 173 individual sites in Wyndham which met criteria for further investigation, was also included in the study.
However, Cr Heather Marcus said there were people within Wyndham “who are extremely unhappy with this heritage report”.
“In general, the outcomes of consultation on the stage one gap (study) are very, very disappointing,” she said.
Cr Marcus said some local historical sites which were suggested by community members for inclusion in the study had been left out.
