Palmwoods meeting hears from State MPs on range of issues: Heritage must live, not be locked away, Powell
PALMWOODS can protect its historic character without freezing the town in time, Environment and Heritage Minister Andrew Powell has told residents.
Heritage emerged as one of the major themes at Tuesday night’s PCBA meeting, with secretary Paul Brandenburg describing Palmwoods as a former railway and farming town whose old timber buildings and country character had become an economic asset.
He pointed to businesses including Homegrown Cafe, Rick’s Garage, the Palmwoods Hotel and other local operators which had found new uses for older buildings. “Palmwoods is a destination,” Mr Brandenburg said. “It’s a unique culinary and historic destination.”
He also highlighted the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which specifically describes Palmwoods as having “a centre rich in historic character with preserved laneways and buildings”.
Mr Powell agreed preserving that character was important, but said successful heritage protection often depended on buildings continuing to have a useful and commercially viable purpose. “The best way to do that is to readapt and reuse the precinct,” he said.
He cited Homegrown and Rick’s Garage as local examples of properties which had changed considerably over time without losing their place in the character of the town. “My recommendation around heritage is yes, let’s protect those values, but let’s not do it in a way that locks it up somewhere, throws away the key and the owner doesn’t want to invest because we make it so hard,” he said.
The issue became particularly relevant when residents raised concerns about ageing or underused commercial properties in the older town centre.
Mr Powell said heritage controls differed depending on whether a property was listed by the State or council, but said governments needed to find ways of encouraging owners to preserve significant buildings while allowing viable new uses. “We just need to be creative in that way and have a think about it,” he said.
Member for Glass House, Andrew Powell MP, at the PCBA meeting on September 8.