Robert Rowe

2014 candidate for City of Mitcham.
Heritage survey responses.

What do you think Council's role is in protecting and conserving heritage?
This is an important and fundamentally basic role of any/every council as it watches over the historical and unique structures and buildings and the like in its precinct. The identification of such areas is shared responsibility with many others and councils should play their part but not dominate or override the inputs of others via its planning powers.
What measures and incentives do you support to protect and conserve local heritage?
Identify areas of interest (including spaces, buildings, structures, streetscapes), include all and every traditional site(s) from past history of Australia (aborigine sites) Seek input from ratepayers who may have unique family information or research other than carried out by council contributors or traditional sources of such information. Not every body knows every thing. Such input to be set up by having an open forum where such data can be provided, acknowledge and acted upon by trained heritage officers and the like and finally reported back to the contributor(s). Plans to demolish or significantly alter heritage sites should be viewed with great care by the full council and NOT be subject to lobbying by persons, groups vested interests. At the same time, decisions (by full council) should be fair, prompt and not allow issues to linger on with financial consequences to applicants. Clearly, heritage listed sites should be part of ALL sales documentation so that prospective purchasers/developers are fully informed of the nature of protection of such heritage sites.. Notwithstanding local council considerations, the National Trust is clearty the principal body in such issues
What is the most important heritage protection issue in your local government area?
There are several issues Traditional church buildings and surrounds - giving over to domestic uses due to lack of heritage support; similar ideas for other community buildings Early Mitcham Village preservation including houses Classic Buildings (Old Government House, Belair Recreation Park)
What policies and programs will you advocate to protect and conserve heritage in your local area?
I would advocate establishing/building on the register of sites on a progressive basis - some landmark sites such as hotel, banks, post offices, roadside stopping points all should be listed as an ongoing and mounting list of places of interest if not initially "heritage listed" as they can be pulled down before they get on any register. No point waiting until a place is so old it is no longer safe to be left standing. In this country , we have so few heritage sites left even now - witness the blackwood area - hardly anything left of the older buildings.
Do you support local Councils retaining development approval powers for projects over $3m in value?
I do not see this as a heritage issue.
Do you have any other thoughts about the protection of heritage in your Council area?
If heritage sites are identified and this is made widely known, there should be no issue with people buying and then trying to demolish such sites as if they did not know!