Horsham City Oval's near century old grandstand has another layer of protection added to preserving its history following a successful motion by council.
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The Horsham Rural City Council members passed a motion on Monday, October 23, to include the grandstand in the Heritage Study Review 2023.
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Mayor Robyn Guilline said the overlay requires future councils to seriously review any decision to alter the grandstand.
"There are no plans to demolish the Grandstand by this council, but if a future council decided to do so, the listing would provide a level of protection," she said.
"If there is an application to demolish the Grandstand in the future, it must go to the Heritage Study Review."
The Grandstand will reach its centenary in April 2024, and plans are already underway for an event to mark the milestone
"It would be good to know the heart and soul and this rich tapestry will be kept," Cr Claudia Haenel said.
The Heritage Study Part One, conducted in 2012, and Part Two in 2014 had not identified the City Oval Grandstand as a significant building to be included within the Horsham Planning Scheme heritage overlay.
In 2019, the City to River Master Plan and Sawyer Park had identified the grandstand to be demolished and a new grandstand built.
However, a letter to HRCC from a community member during 2019 and 2021 stated they believed the building had heritage significance.
As a result, the council commissioned a Heritage Assessment on the City Oval grandstand.
The assessment found the Grandstand was a place of historical and social significance, particularly the long association with Australian Rules football and cricket and other popular pastimes from the turn of the century until now.
The City Oval grandstand was not considered to have state significance by Heritage Council Victoria due to the extensive repairs carried out over the years to repair termite damage.
"The grandstand is not the same as it was when it was originally built, and it was the repairs which excluded it from State Significance," the mayor said.
The recommendation was carried with all councillors in favour due to its value and significance to the community.
"Why wouldn't we protect something so valuable to rebuild would not have the same soul," Cr David Bowe said.
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Deputy Mayor Penny Flynn requested confirmation that the recommendation was only to add the Grandstand to the heritage list.
Cr Ian Ross said he was pleased to see the recommendation go through.
Cr Les Power said his only concern was the current building did not provide accessibility for all, but he agreed the grandstand should be protected.
Councils in Victoria are obliged to conserve places of cultural heritage significance through the preparation of heritage studies and the application of appropriate planning controls to conserve places identified in heritage studies.
The Horsham Heritage Study Review has been prepared, and council officers will be requesting at a later date that it be adopted and that a planning scheme amendment be prepared to give effect to the findings and recommendations of the study.
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