Royal
Park Protection Group Inc
MEDIA
RELEASE
The Royal Park Protection
Group (RPPG) applauds the decision by the Heritage Council to include the Royal
Park Hospital on the State Heritage Register and the recognition given to its
unique scientific, medical, architectural, historic and social
significance. This decision affirms the
rightful place of importance of the Royal Park Hospital in the history of
Victoria
The Heritage Council’s determination
read: “The (Registration) Committee was persuaded that the case made for its
inclusion on the Heritage Register emphasising the medical and scientific
significance as well as the more usual architectural, social and historical
grounds for state significance was sufficient to warrant its registration.”
The RPPG commends the Heritage Council for taking an independent stand and
refusing to bow to pressure from the Government and developers to
downgrade its significance to merely being of “local significance” and
therefore not worthy of protection.
Julianne Bell
RPPG Convenor comments: “Over the past ten months, after
nominating the Royal Park Hospital for the State Heritage Register, the RPPG -
with the National Trust as an ally - has battled to have its significance
recognized. We have, however, won a
Pyrrhic victory. With Games Minister
Madden’s approval, the developers have already mauled the heritage complex. Even while an appeal was in progress last
November at the Heritage Council, the bulldozers went in and flattened
important buildings including the offices and laboratory of the world famous Dr
John Cade, who discovered the therapeutic uses of lithium for manic depression.
This reveals the Minister’s absolute contempt for the community and for due
process.
Rod Quantock, RPPG Deputy
Convenor explains: “The developers of the monster new suburb on the 20
hectare Royal Park Hospital site, which masquerades as the 2006 Games Village,
wouldn’t wait for the Heritage Council decision. They started building their display houses a mere 15 metres away
from the heritage buildings so comprising the garden setting. It is ironic that
the developers have “rebadged” their wall-to-wall housing development “The
Parkville Gardens.”
The RPPG will continue to
lobby and make representations over appropriate uses of the heritage complex of
the Royal Park Hospital.
Contact: Julianne Bell 98184114 or 0408022408 www.royalparkprotect.org.au