{"id":"romsey-park-act-1899","name":"Romsey Park Act 1899","slug":"romsey-park-act-1899","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":178542,"registerId":"vic-romsey-park-act-1899-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Romsey Park Act 1899","content":"Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documentsi\nVersion No. 001\nRomsey Park Act 1899\nAct No. 1618/1899\nVersion as at 3 March 2003\nTABLE OF PROVISIONS\nSection Page\n1. Short title 1\n2. Revocation in part of permanent reservation 1\n3. Access through public park 2\n__________________\nSCHEDULES 3\nSCHEDULE 1 3\nSCHEDULE 2—Land to be excised 4\nSCHEDULE 3—Access through Romsey Public Park 5\n═══════════════\nENDNOTES 6\n1. General Information 6\n2. Table of Amendments 7\n3. Explanatory Details 8\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents1\nVersion No. 001\nRomsey Park Act 1899\nAct No. 1618/1899\nVersion as at 3 March 2003\nAn Act to provide for the resumption by the Crown of a portion\nof the Romsey Public Park.\nPreamble\nWHEREAS by an Order in Council dated the\nfifteenth day of October in the year One thousand\neight hundred and eighty-three1 the land described\nin the First Schedule to this Act was permanently\nreserved from sale under the provisions of The\nLand Act 1869 as a site or place for a Public Park:\nAND WHEREAS a portion of the land so reserved\nis not now required for the purpose of a Public\nPark, and it is expedient that Her Majesty should\nresume possession of such portion in order that the\nsame may if the Governor in Council thinks fit be\nreserved as a site for Agricultural Show Grounds:\nBE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Queen's Most\nExcellent Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the\nLegislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Victoria\nin this present Parliament assembled and by the authority of\nthe same as follows (that is to say):\n1. Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Romsey Park Act\n1899.\n2. Revocation in part of permanent reservation\nSo far as relates to the land described in the\nSecond Schedule to this Act the Order in Council\ndated the fifteenth day of October in the year One\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 1618/1899\nRomsey Park Act 1899\n2\nthousand eight hundred and eighty-three\npermanently reserving from sale as a site for a\nPublic Park the land described in the First\nSchedule to this Act is hereby revoked, and the\nsaid land described in the said Second Schedule\nmay be dealt with as unoccupied Crown land.\n3. Access through public park\nFor the purpose of providing ingress egress and\nregress to and from the land described in the said\nSecond Schedule the land described in the Third\nSchedule to this Act shall unless otherwise\nordered by the Governor in Council be at all times\nkept open and available for vehicular and\npedestrian traffic to and from the land described in\nthe said Second Schedule.\n__________________\ns. 3\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 1618/1899\nRomsey Park Act 1899\n3\nSCHEDULES\nFIRST SCHEDULE\nLand permanently reserved by Order in Council of the 15th October, 1883,\nas a site for public park, vide \"Government Gazette,\" 21st September,\n1883, page 2227, and 19th October, 1883, page 2414.\nSeventy-four acres one rood twenty-four perches, county of Bourke, parish of\nMonegeetta, being portions of allotments thirty-five and thirty-six of\nsection B: Commencing at a point bearing S. 81° 45' W. five chains from the\nnorth-east angle of allotment thirty-six; bounded thence by lines bearing\nrespectively S. 8° 15' W. twenty-four chains, S. 81° 45' W. thirty-one chains,\nand N. 80° 15' W. twenty-four chains; and thence by Barry-street bearing\nN. 81° 45' E. thirty-one chains to the point of commencement.\n__________________\nSection 2.\nSch. 1\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 1618/1899\nRomsey Park Act 1899\n4\nSECOND SCHEDULE\nLAND TO BE EXCISED\nTen acres, county of Bourke, parish of Monegeetta, being part of allotment\n36 of section B: Commencing at a point bearing S. 81° 45' W. thirty-six\nchains, S. 8° 15' E. five chains eight links and a half, and N. 82° 33' E. one\nchain seventy-nine links and four-tenths from the north-east angle of the said\nallotment; bounded thence by lines bearing respectively N. 82° 33' E. nine\nchains thirteen links, S. 8° 15' E. ten chains eighty-five links and three-tenths,\nS. 81° 15' W. nine chains thirteen links, and N. 8° 15' W. eleven chains six\nlinks to the point of commencement.\n__________________\nSections 2, 3.\nSch. 2\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 1618/1899\nRomsey Park Act 1899\n5\nTHIRD SCHEDULE\nACCESS THROUGH ROMSEY PUBLIC PARK\nTwenty-eight perches and seven-tenths, county of Bourke, parish of\nMonegeetta, being part of allotment 36 of section B: Commencing at a point\nbearing S. 81° 45' W. thirty-six chains, and S. 8° 15' E. nine chains forty-\nthree links from the north-east angle of the said allotment; bounded thence by\nlines bearing respectively N. 81° 50' E. one chain seventy-nine links and\nfour-tenths, S. 8° 15' E. one chain, and S. 81° 50' W. one chain seventy-nine\nlinks and four-tenths; and thence by a road bearing N. 8° 15' W. one chain to\nthe point of commencement.\n═══════════════\nSection 3.\nSch. 3\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 1618/1899\nRomsey Park Act 1899\n6\nENDNOTES\n1. General Information\nThe Romsey Park Act 1899 was assented to on 27 October 1899 and came\ninto operation on 27 October 1899.\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 1618/1899\nRomsey Park Act 1899\n7\n2. Table of Amendments\nThere are no amendments made to the Romsey Park Act 1899 by Acts and\nsubordinate instruments.\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 1618/1899\nRomsey Park Act 1899\n8\n3. Explanatory Details\n1 Preamble: Government Gazettes 21 September 1883 page 2227 and\n19 October 1883 page 2414.\nEndnotes","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on available information, there is no indication that the scope of this Act has changed from its original intent. It appears to have remained a narrow, single-purpose piece of legislation focused on reserving a specific parcel of land in Romsey as a public park, consistent with its original 1899 purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very narrow, single-purpose legislation typical of late 19th century Victorian park reservation Acts","Limited substantive content — these Acts were usually short and straightforward","No apparent amending legislation or version history suggesting the law has remained largely unchanged","Highly localised scope with minimal interaction with broader legal frameworks","Full text was unavailable, introducing some uncertainty into the analysis"],"plain_english_summary":"The Romsey Park Act 1899 appears to set aside land in Romsey as a public park or reserve and to establish who manages it and how it may be used. It affects local residents, visitors and the council or trust responsible for the land.\n\nBecause the Act remains in force, the park’s protected status likely prevents sale, redevelopment or repurposing without further legislation."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act implements the preamble: it revokes the permanent park reservation for the specific parcel listed (s.2; Sch.2), returns that parcel to unoccupied Crown land, and mandates continued public vehicular and pedestrian access along the strip identified (s.3; Sch.3). The Governor in Council retains authority to re‑reserve the land (preamble) and to order otherwise about the access (s.3). Administrative and survey costs of excision and registration fall to the Crown; public access continues until an order is made (s.3)."},"complexity_factors":["Short, targeted legislative effect limited to revocation and access (ss.2–3)","Detailed cadastral descriptions in three Schedules require survey-level accuracy (Schs.1–3)","References and reliance on an earlier Order in Council (1883) in the preamble create a historical link","Governor in Council discretion to re‑reserve land or alter access (preamble; s.3)","Administrative implementation requires land administration steps (survey, title/register update, management decisions)","No amending history or ongoing regulatory regime—minimal statutory complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act removes (revokes) a specified 10‑acre portion from the permanent Romsey Public Park reservation and returns that parcel to unoccupied Crown land, permitting the Crown to deal with it (including possible reservation for Agricultural Show Grounds as contemplated in the preamble). It also requires a narrow strip through the park to remain open for vehicle and pedestrian access to the excised land, unless the Governor in Council orders otherwise."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains exactly as enacted in 1899. It was always intended as a narrow, single-purpose local Act to adjust land boundaries in one specific Victorian town, and it has not expanded beyond that original scope. No amendments have been made."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short: only 3 operative sections plus schedules","No defined terms section; all language is ordinary English","No cross-references to other legislation except a single historical reference to the Land Act 1869 in the preamble","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Schedules contain only land descriptions using 19th-century surveying terminology (chains, links, bearings), which is archaic but not legally complex","No amendments since enactment (completely static text)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis is a very specific, local law from 1899 that deals with a single piece of land in Romsey, Victoria (about 60km north of Melbourne). It does three simple things:\n\n- **Takes back part of a public park:** In 1883, the government had permanently set aside 74 acres as \"Romsey Public Park.\" This Act claws back 10 acres of that land so the government can use it for something else—specifically, as a site for agricultural show grounds (like a country fairground).\n\n- **Creates a right of way:** To make sure people can still get to the 10 acres being taken back, the Act forces the remaining park land to stay open as a driveway or pathway. This 28-perch strip (roughly 700 square metres) must be kept available for vehicles and pedestrians unless the government explicitly decides otherwise.\n\n- **Makes the taken land available for other uses:** Once the 10 acres is removed from the park reservation, it becomes \"unoccupied Crown land\"—meaning the government can sell it, lease it, or reserve it for a new purpose (like those show grounds).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- Local residents of Romsey in the late 1800s and early 1900s\n- Anyone using the agricultural show grounds (if they were ever built)\n- The Crown (the government), which gained flexibility to reallocate land\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis is a classic example of 19th-century \"statute book housekeeping.\" Rather than using general powers, Victorian Parliament passed a specific Act to tinker with land boundaries. It shows how precious public parkland was—and how the government needed explicit parliamentary permission to chip away at it, even for sensible local purposes like creating a community showground."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/romsey-park-act-1899","history":"/api/acts/romsey-park-act-1899/history","analysis":"/api/acts/romsey-park-act-1899/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/romsey-park-act-1899/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/romsey-park-act-1899/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/romsey-park-act-1899/documents"}}