Real estate principal Justin Gay hits the nail on the head today, saying that heritage is one of the best things going for Goulburn.
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We’ve known that for a while but not always appreciated the fact, especially when it comes to development conflicts.
One of these could be once again brewing in Lagoon Street with the sale of Woolworths owned land. The chain never put a firm plan on the drawing board but the buy-up some six years ago fanned fears of heritage demolition.
But it would be sheer folly to go down this track. Goulburn is shooting itself in the foot if it continues to bulldoze its history and replace it with tacky, gawdy buildings. The temptation is greater given expansion of the B4 Mixed Use zone into the CBD fringe.
In recent years two bottle shops have sprung up on the CBD’s northern entry, welcoming tourists to Goulburn. Soon there will be also be a Hungry Jacks adding to the onslaught.
We welcome new developments and investment in the city but there must also be leadership. Real estate agent and owner of 15 Lagoon Street, Graeme Welsh (pictured) urged as much five years ago.
He said it was time to rid “pure emotion” from the heritage debate and come up with solutions. If not, Goulburn would become a city of “derelict buildings.”
“If society wants things preserved, society must put up its hand and help preservation,” Mr Welsh told the council.
That also comes down to good planning controls and ramming home the message we value our heritage.
But it’s becoming an increasing challenge with older buildings in the main street. Many are not fit for purpose or suited to modern retailing. Some owners simply don’t maintain them sufficiently to keep tenants.
Consequently, new buildings are springing up. Alarmingly there were 34 vacancies in Goulburn’s CBD late last year, up by seven on 2015 figures.
There’s no easy solution but if we value our Auburn Street heritage stock, we must find a way. Much of it comes down to civic pride and the recognition that our history is a compelling selling point.
The Lagoon Street houses may very well remain intact if a single buyer appreciates this fact. But the question remains, should they have ever been included in the Mixed Use zone in the first place?
It has opened the door to an age-old conflict.