An application to have Maldon listed on the National Heritage register has not been successful. Michele Waddington, owner of Fairbank House accommodation, completed the laborious application process and has been in discussions with heritage officers from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water for over 12 months.
In order to be eligible for National Heritage listing, a place must contain outstanding significance to the nation; a high threshold. Ms Waddington’s bid, her second attempt, was an attempt to establish that the centre of town, or the Maldon Central Heritage Precinct, was unique for a variety of reasons including its urban structure and layout and due to its role, in the 1970s, as an influence on the heritage overlay planning system now in use.
The decision as communicated to Ms Waddington was made because, in the view of the heritage assessors: ” …there is insufficient justification as to why the place would meet threshold when compared to similar places representing the gold rush. Any potential future nomination of these types of places to the National Heritage List would benefit from a wholistic approach in terms of comparative analysis.”
The nomination has been considered twice, and is now ineligible to be considered in this form again. Should anyone in the future choose to attempt to have Maldon listed, a new nomination would be required.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 13 December 2024.