Lilydale’s staircase row comes to rest

By Melissa Meehan
A DECISION has finally been made in relation to Lilydale’s most talked about staircase.
The staircase from the former Lilydale Shire chambers will be going into storage at a council depot after councillors Samantha Dunne and Jeanette Mae secured the staircase’s future at the last council meeting.
The majority of councillors voted to follow a previous decision made by the council to remove the stairs as part of a plan to refurbish and redevelop the site to be used as the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.
The council’s decision to remove the staircase follows the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunals (VCAT) decision last month to allow the demolition of the stairs after an appeal by objector Ellena Biggs.
The council’s decision was made complicated by a decision made by the Heritage Council, which decided the staircase was an integral part of the building’s interior.
The Heritage Council noted in its report that the interior of the former chambers warranted protection under the shire’s planning scheme.
Speaking at the meeting, Dianne Kueffer a supporter of the staircase highlighted that the Heritage Council had understood the significance of the staircase to the building and that the council should follow this train of thought.
Lilydale Museum Trust chairwoman Paulette Bisley said the “silent majority” within the community backed the redevelopment of the chambers and in turn, the removal of the staircase.
Objector Ellena Biggs said she was disappointed by the council’s decision.
“What I’m finding bewildering is that the council can go against its own heritage advisor, Heritage Victoria, something so respected and austere, and nine historical architects and historians,” Ms Biggs said.
“To me it doesn’t make sense.”