The demolition of a historic hill station home on Mount Macedon this month has left local residents shocked.
Benue Lodge on Syndicate Road dates back to 1885 and was recently renovated before being purchased by new owners for $3.5M late last year.
But modifications made to the home in the 1930s meant it did not meet requirements for heritage protection.
Neighbours were notified of the plans for the property and under state government guidelines, with no objections made to the council, council officers had no other option than to consent to the demolition.
A permit for the construction of two replacement dwellings and the removal of non-native vegetation was subsequently issued.
Despite the demolition being legal, residents have since expressed their dismay at the loss of heritage.
“The Macedon Ranges, and Mount Macedon in particular, should be preserved as a heritage hotspot for its hill station lodges and English-style gardens,” local resident Kate Kendall said.
“Once we erase our history, be it legally or not, we won’t be able to get it back and risk becoming another distant suburban sprawl of Melbourne void of character.
“Greater community consultation is needed before we see any other local landmark demolished in favour of new-build homes.”
Dominic Romeo, the restorer of four historic homes on Mount Macedon including Benue Lodge, said few of Mount Macedon’s historic homes and gardens remained after the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983.
“We lost a lot of our beautiful properties and we need to preserve what we have left,” Mr Romeo said.
“I’ve heard that there’s going to be lot of restructuring of the gardens at Benue Lodge and anything that’s non-native could potentially get pulled out.
“Mount Macedon has the largest collection of 19th century English gardens in the southern hemisphere and we’re fast losing them.”
Deputy mayor Rob Guthrie said he and fellow South Ward councillor Anne Moore were disappointed that it happened.
“If neighbours had objected that would have given it the possibility of coming through the council process,” Cr Guthrie said.
“Even one objection would have been enough for it to be placed on the list of applications to be considered by councillors, but because there were no objectors it was dealt with under officer delegation.”
The Midland Express was unable to make contact with Benue Lodge’s owners for comment.
