Council & Business
12 February, 2024
Heritage review input needed
In a bid to increase the town’s growth possibilities, residents are being urged to attend a community consultation session regarding the Talbot Heritage Review. The review will play a role in the Talbot Futures Project, started in September 2022...
In a bid to increase the town’s growth possibilities, residents are being urged to attend a community consultation session regarding the Talbot Heritage Review.
The review will play a role in the Talbot Futures Project, started in September 2022, with the objective to protect the township’s key heritage and character attributes, while allowing for a sustainable level of growth and change.
Currently the town’s planning scheme controls are based under a 1988 suggestion for Heritage Overlay 208, which states a planning permit is necessary to construct a building, or undertake any works in the town.
Councillor Chris Meddows-Taylor said while the overlay is effective in preserving the town’s history, a heritage review is needed to enable potential growth while protecting historical landmarks.
“This is following on from some very successful work we did in Maryborough with the Maryborough Heritage Review,” he said.
“The community has made it clear that we want to preserve our heritage.
“There are parts of Talbot that can accommodate growth, and there are parts we need to preserve the heritage of.
“Slapping on a township zone as we do at the moment, works against areas of Talbot where we don’t really need constraints on it.
“We don’t want to penalise people who then have to go through hurdles when they are building in parts of Talbot where you don’t need those type of constraints.”
The Maryborough Heritage Review is ongoing, with plans calling for Maryborough to be broken into eight distinct heritage precincts, reducing land on the current Heritage Overlay 206 by around half.
The Talbot Heritage Review aims to support the Draft Talbot Structure Plan, a guide into the future development of the gold rush town by removing issues such as lack of sewerage, supermarket and affordable housing.
Cr Meddows-Taylor said constant community consultation is vital to ensure developments suit residents’ needs.
“It’s their town and they need to have a say, we have involved the community right through this, there has been a lot of input and the community have said we support growth, we need sewerage and we need some affordable housing,” he said.
“Talbot is a very significant gold rush town, what we have is very precious.
“We want to keep the character of the town, we want to keep its village like feel and we want to preserve the heritage.”
According to Talbot Museum secretary Marrion Miller, the town’s historical buildings are rightfully engrained in Talbot’s identity, and need sustained protection.
“Back in 1988 a very knowledgeable consultant wrote about Camp Street saying that it is one of the most intact small town street-scapes in Australia, that’s not bad for a very little town,” she said.
“When I first came here, the buildings on Scandinavian Crescent sold me, it is a worthwhile street to preserve.”
The community consultation session is being held on Monday, February 19 from 5.30 to 7 pm at the Talbot ANA Hall. For more information, visit engage.cgoldshire .vic.gov.au/talbotfutures.