More significant sites to be preserved Seymour has the highest number of new heritage listed buildings in the shire after the Victorian Government implemented the new Mitchell Shire Planning scheme. Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes, announced additional heritage controls for Mitchell Shire last week, protecting the regions unique character, monuments and rich historic legacy. The approved amendment to the Mitchell Shire Planning Scheme implements four heritage studies and applies a heritage overlay or significant landscape overlay to about 103 properties throughout the municipality. Ms Symes said the Planning Minister Richard Wynne approved the changes following advice from an independent planning panel, Mitchell Shire Council and the broader community. Its vital that Victorias irreplaceable heritage buildings, monuments and precincts are recognised and protected for generations to come, Ms Symes said. The new heritage sites in the Mitchell Planning Scheme (more than 70) include eight new heritage precincts, amending some existing places and deleting redundant places. Changes have also been undertaken to the Significant Landscape Overlay. The changes to the heritage overlay will occur across the Shire, and the towns with the most changes are Seymour (13 new heritage places, including St Marys Convent at the Seymour College and four new heritage precincts), Kilmore (14 new heritage places, including the former Marist Brothers Monastery) and Broadford (13 new heritage places and one new heritage precinct). Other towns within the Shire will have the heritage overlay introduced on sites where the town previously had little or no heritage listings. Reedy Creek and Wandong are towns which previously had no heritage overlay listings and the towns of Pyalong, Tallarook and Tooborac previously had minimal significant buildings heritage listed. The Former Junction Hotel in Tallarook is an example of a significant building that will now be protected through an individual heritage building. The Planning Scheme Amendment C56 will be made available for viewing at councils library and customer service centres in Broadford and Wallan as well as on the Mitchell Shire Council website under strategic planning. What does the Amendment mean? Amendment C56 means the Heritage Overlay will be applicable to more properties across Mitchell Shire. For information about what permits are required before undertaking any changes or development to a heritage place, contact councils Statutory Planning Department. A Heritage Overlay can relate to a single heritage place (such as St Marys Convent) or a number of places and therefore creates a Heritage Precinct (such as the High St precinct). The Heritage Overlay may in some instances require land owners to gain planning permit consent for changes to sites included within the overlay. In some circumstances, the Heritage Overlay can introduce specific controls on external paint, internal alterations and tree controls. For properties within the Heritage Overlay, a planning permit is not usually required to carry out maintenance and repairs which do not change the appearance of a heritage place. General maintenance and refurbishments of the heritage places will remain the ongoing responsibility of the landowner, however, the Heritage Overlay cannot enforce additional refurbishment to be undertaken. Continued on Page 3 Preserving historic features Continued from Page 1 It is important to note that the Heritage Overlay does not prohibit development. The planning permit process will ensure that significant heritage features are appropriately managed and considered when changes to heritage places are proposed. Key sites affected within the North Ward Amendment C56 introduces the Heritage Overlay to 13 individual places across Seymour which include three churches (Christ Church of England, Church of the Immaculate Conception and St Andrews Presbyterian Church), St Marys Convent House, the Masonic Lodge as well as the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park. In Pyalong the Heritage Overlay has been introduced to six individual sites including the former Doogans Hotel, Pyalong Cemetery and the Anglican Church of the Transfiguration. Five individual places in Tallarook have had the Heritage Overlay introduced including the Mechanics Institute, former Junction Hotel and St Josephs Catholic Church and St Stephens Anglican Church. Other towns affected include Tooborac with seven new individual sites in the Heritage Overlay including Smiths Bridge, the War Memorial along the Northern Hwy and the Mechanics Institute. Trawool also has three new individual places in the Heritage Overlay with the former School No. 2700 and Clyde cottage, both along the Goulburn Valley Hwy, listed.