Call to identify historic sites

ALTHOUGH Ballarat’s heritage overlay currently protects a wide range of properties, there are many buildings that seem to have fallen through the cracks.

In reviewing the current heritage overlay system, the City of Ballarat is asking residents to help them fill in these gaps.

Community members can assist the heritage protection process by adding information and images of specific sites to an online map of the city.

The City’s chair of the Heritage Advisory Committee Cr Samantha McIntosh said that the municipality must locate the missed properties to better protect Ballarat’s history.

“The current heritage overlay has gaps, we want to try and achieve a better outcome, a more fluent and sympathetic and respectful outcome,” she said.

This project is a component of the city’s historic urban landscape plan which aims to help the municipality better protect heritage sites.

Cr McIntosh said that although the document gives great guidelines to communities around the world to better protect historic urban landscapes, the plan isn’t legally binding.

“It’s not a legal framework, it’s a set of guidelines for municipalities to protect what they’ve got,” she said.

“What we need to do to protect heritage is to encourage growth because that will help us protect what we’ve got.

“But to do it well, we need to understand that historic urban landscape and the value of that heritage design.”

Not every place added to the list will be selected for the heritage overlay but it will be a huge help in identifying both vulnerable sites and buildings of strong historical significance.

Noting that there is no perfect way to protect and preserve our heritage buildings, Cr McIntosh said that it is important for the community to get involved and help in any way we can.

“It’s absolutely imperative that our community embraces and helps us achieve a better outcome for our historical sites,” she said.

“This pinning of sites is not the answer in itself but it will help us with some of the gaps that we have.

“We need a combined approach, one solution on its own will not help us achieve the best outcome.”

Access the map or provide a written submission until 31 July at mysay.ballarat.vic.gov.au and follow the links.