Jennifer Pittorino
Hobsons Bay council said it did not support last weeks demolition of two buildings at the Newport Railway Workshops.
VicTrack demolished the buildings against the advice of Hobsons Bay City Council.
Hobsons Bay councillor and heritage preservation advocate Peter Hemphill said while a planning permit was not required, council did not support the demolition in the absence of a heritage assessment of the buildings.
“I am deeply alarmed by the consistent destruction of Newport’s rail heritage by VicTrack,”he said.
“The destruction of the laboratory on the site follows the removal of heritage overhead power lines near the rail platform last December.
“And two years ago, VicTrack took heritage equipment, some owned by the rail groups, to a scrap metal dealer without the knowledge or consent of the rail groups.”
Cr Hemphill said the destruction of structures and equipment significant to Hobsons Bay’s heritage was in violation of the Cultural Heritage Asset Management Principles developed by the Heritage Council of Victoria in 2007 and endorsed by the state government in December 2009.
“These are principles which require government agencies to develop an inventory of places and objects of significance,” he said.
“Government agencies are required to identify, protect, conserve and present cultural heritage for current and future generations.
“They are expected to take appropriate action to ensure heritage significance is not eroded. VicTrack continues to flout these requirements against the wishes of the Hobsons Bay community and local rail groups.
“If VicTrack wants to demolish structures at the Newport Railway Workshops, it should provide a recent heritage report on those assets by an independent authority at the very least.”
Cr Hemphill called on VicTrack to release an inventory on all rail assets within the Newport Railway Workshops site, including those outside the Heritage H1000 overlay.
“VicTrack should also carry out a conservation management plan for the site,” he said.
“This government authority has also indicated it wants to demolish further structures at the workshops site, against the wishes of the local community and rail preservation groups.
“These workshops date back to the 1880s and remain a significant rail heritage site in Australia and indeed, the world.
“Many Victorians have either worked there or had family members that have worked there. VicTrack needs to do more to protect their heritage.”
A VicTrack spokesperson said, “The buildings were demolished due to concerns about their structural integrity following significant storm damage, and the potential risks this posed to people working in the area. They were not in a condition to be restored for other uses and no planning or heritage permits were required for the works.
“VicTrack’s priority is to preserve the heritage listed buildings in the Newport Workshops precinct, which includes recent works on the heritage listed Tarp Shed as well as funding for the local Men’s Shed to undertake restoration works at the Clocktower and Garden Platform.”
