Greater Shepparton City Council has ignored the recommendation of the Heritage Council of Victoria that the entire Parkside Gardens site is of local heritage significance for its community and multicultural associations and should be protected.

The recommendation of the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria, Mr. Ray Tonkin, acknowledged the loss of some built elements but still recommended protection of the entire site, not only two buildings as suggested by our local Council.
His report stated:

… with its lake and moat system, remaining landscape elements and buildings........ it is a site of cultural significance to Shepparton. (13th May, 2004)

In September following a Hearing in Shepparton, the Heritage Council also included the whole site in its heritage assessment and recommendation:

The Heritage Council Victoria announced today that Shepparton's Parkside Gardens are historically and socially significant to the local community and therefore recommended the City of Greater Shepparton protect them under its local planning scheme.
(Heritage Council media release, September 24th)

The City Council was asked to consider these assessments and has clearly ignored the heritage value of the entire site.

It is very obvious that Council is placing the profits of an out -of- town developer well ahead of the need for our community to retain its significant heritage.

We disagree strongly with the Council's statement that an 'appropriate' setting will be retained for the Philippine House.

The VicUrban plan shows that NONE of the present waterways around the buildings will remain. Instead, medium density housing will surround the cultural centre and there is insufficient car parking spaces on and around the site to allow for social functions to be held there.

The proposed setting for the Philippine House can only be described as extremely inappropriate.