Macedon Ranges Heritage Strategy 2023

Council is reviewing its existing Heritage Strategy.

The Heritage Council of Victoria’s 2020 statewide review of the ‘State of Heritage’ identified that the majority of heritage places in Victoria – more than 186,000 places – are protected by councils.

A Heritage Strategy sets Council’s approach to the management of heritage within the shire. It is a key strategic tool for assisting councils to meet their obligations under different pieces of heritage legislation.

A Heritage Strategy identifies the work already done by Council, prioritises work to be done in the future, assists with managing assets appropriately for the community, and celebrates the rich history and heritage of Macedon Ranges.

The Heritage Strategy will be organised under the 4 themes recommended by the Heritage Victoria toolkit

  • Knowing: identification, assessment and documentation of heritage places
  • Protecting: statutory protection, policy development, appropriate management
  • Supporting: assistance, advice and incentives to help conserve heritage places
  • Communication and Promoting: measures to raise awareness and appreciation of our area’s heritage.

What do you love about the heritage of the shire?

The first stage of the Heritage Strategy review process was to find out what it is you love about the heritage of the shire. 

In 2023 we invited local communities to submit photos and tell us in 25 words or less:

  • What they love and want to keep about the shire’s heritage. This could be the bluestone houses, windows, shops and industries that made this area.
  • What they think needs to change. This could be the way we celebrate our heritage, deal with rundown buildings, or provide community grants for history and heritage projects.

Photos are displayed in an image gallery on this page.

The best or most interesting photos and comments were promoted on Council’s media channels during the project, and a selection will be used in the Heritage Strategy 2023 documentation. 

 

REVIEWING THE STATUS OF HERITAGE IN THE SHIRE

The status of heritage in Council will also be reviewed as part of the Heritage Strategy 2023 process.

The existing Heritage Strategy was adopted in 2014. It made recommendations for a total of 55 actions to be achieved in a four year cycle. A snapshot(PDF, 123KB) of these 55 actions shows that some actions are complete or ongoing, the majority have paused or not commenced, and some are no longer applicable.  

Part of the Heritage Strategy 2023 consultation process will be to check this with each relevant area of Council and update it, to get a better picture of the state of heritage in the Macedon Ranges.

Image gallery

Click on each image to enlarge and find out more.

Timeline

Consultation period opens

22 May 2023

Consultation period closes

23 June 2023

Draft Heritage Strategy prepared

June to August 2023

Draft Strategy Presented to Council

To be confirmed.

For more information, call Dannielle Orr on (03) 5422 0333 or email strategicplanning@mrsc.vic.gov.au