Byron Council’s attempt to protect the character of Federal Village by introducing formally zoned heritage protections have received a negative response from landowners in the town and may now be abandoned.
In June last year councillors voted to begin the process of creating a Heritage Conservation Area in Federal, as a way of ensuring that buildings of particular significance did not lose their character through renovations, additions or other changes that break from tradition.
22 sites pegged
The 22 sites in the conservation area, along with an additional 24 sites sprinkled around the town, would have been subject to a particular heritage zoning that would have made such works unlawful.
However, when Council released its draft plans to the community for feedback, the response from Federal residents was a resounding ‘no’.
Forty-five public submissions were received during the 28-day exhibition period and the vast majority did not support the proposed heritage conservation area, nor the additional listings.
The draft plan will come back before Council this week, with staff recommending that it be abandoned.
‘The main reasons for objection included, but are not limited to; concern the property was not worthy of heritage listing; cost of maintenance; complexity of seeking approval for minor work such as painting; concern about impact on property values; and concerns regarding the community consultation process,’ Council’s land use planner, Cameron Theissen, said in his report on the issue.
‘Thirteen landowners specifically objected to the establishment of a Heritage Conservation Area, and three were in support.’
Council has a policy of not including properties in heritage conservation areas if the owner is not in favour of the move.
This is done to, in the words of staff, ‘remove any perception that Council is imposing a heritage listing on a property without the support of affected landowners.’
Not only are most of the private landowners not in favour of having their properties heritage listed, but those responsible for the public sites included in the proposal have objected as well.
‘It is recommended that the listing of the proposed Crown Land sites be removed from the planning proposal owing to land zoning conflicts and the existence of an Aboriginal Land Claim on one of the sites,’ Mr Theissen said.
Federal Park and tennis court
‘Council-owned Federal Park and tennis court are also removed from the planning proposal at the request of Council’s Manager Open Spaces and Facilities.’
Given the objections of the various owners and agencies involved, staff have recommended that councillors abandon the planning proposal.
Should this happen, formal, legal protection of Federal’s heritage would rely on the current Byron DCP, which sets out a ‘Heritage Character Area’ that includes many of the town’s oldest houses.
This imposes some planning controls on these areas but they are significantly less stringent that those that would apply if a formally zoned heritage conservation area were to be introduced.
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