National Trust of Australia (Vic)

Background
Formed in 1956, the National Trust, although a private body, has been instrumental in identifying and conserving many important sites throughout Victoria. Their register includes cultural landscape, all kinds of buildings and structures, gardens, trees, and street furniture. Its membership of over 25,000 (Victoria) make it an influential body in conservation of cultural sites in the state. For example, the Mornington branch of the Trust has been particularly active in arranging Heritage Week activities, including organised tours of natural and cultural sites on the peninsula. The Trust also pursues a valuable promotional role, publishing a very useful technical bulletin series which advises on paint colours, signs, garden planting, fences and restoration of inter-war houses among other things. These bulletins could be adopted by local planning authorities .as performance standards for conservation controls.

Statutory Role
A Trust listing of any municipal owned site which requires a planning permit for works to it, means that the responsible planning authority (usually the Council) must notify the Trust to allow it to comment or object, as needed (ie. Ballam Park).

Any nomination by the Trust to the Historic Buildings Council for addition to its register must be considered by the Council, unlike any other nomination received from outside of the Council.

The Trust also pursues a general watchdog role which can mean use of third-party objection rights in planning applications concerning Trust listed sites.

Recommendation
Council should wherever possible consult with and support the National Trust's activities in Frankston City.