Residents of War Workers Estate in Moorooka fight back against ‘unprecedented’ heritage overlay
Homeowners in a ‘War Workers housing estate’ in Brisbane will learn whether they have won the right to change their homes, this weekend. Residents in Moorooka took the local council to court, after it introduces a controversial plan to temporarily heritage list 180 homes in the area. It meant minor repairs became subject to strict and costly approvals.
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00:00Every man's home is his castle, but can it really be a castle if you can't make it a home?
00:09A castle's not a castle if you can't fix a fence paling or a broken step or a roof tile without getting approval that might take you six months and cost $2,000.
00:20But that's been the reality for residents of Moorooka's War Workers Housing Estate in Brisbane's south.
00:26Built in the mid-40s, these homes were erected for the families of Rocklea Munitions factory workers.
00:33Three quarters of a century later, the cottagers have maintained their charm but are now frozen in time.
00:40In September 22 we received a notification in the mail that our homes would be made heritage listed under a TLPI.
00:48Which stands for Temporary Local Planning Instrument.
00:51The 180 homes were temporarily heritage listed while council worked to make it permanent.
00:57The TLPI came in with no consultation with any of the residents.
01:00But the sheer number of properties in this case, I think it's unprecedented.
01:05Prior to this, the homes fell under a character listing, which meant they couldn't be demolished or dramatically developed.
01:12But under the initial heritage advice...
01:15We can't paint the house, we can't fix a fence, we can't really do any basic maintenance unless we get council approval.
01:22Approval, which can be costly at the expense of the homeowner.
01:27The council says...
01:39Submissions close on Sunday.
01:41For now, residents can only hope their homes will keep their character and with the times.