Southbank’s heritage officially protected

By Sean Car

The City of Melbourne’s Southbank Heritage Review was approved by the Minister for Planning last month, ensuring Southbank’s last remaining heritage places of significance are protected.

In what is a long-awaited moment for the City of Melbourne and the Southbank community, the Amendment C305: Southbank Heritage was officially incorporated into the Melbourne Planning Scheme on April 24.

In 2017 the council’s heritage portfolio chair Cr Rohan Leppert commissioned a review into Southbank heritage.

The review identified key locations within the local area that were worthy of “protection” under the planning scheme — that is, where higher levels of scrutiny should be applied to any future development plans on the site.

The final document included some changes, including places where the buildings had been redeveloped since the review was conducted or where it was determined the threshold for local heritage significance had not been met.

“We have a large number of buildings and objects that weren’t protected in the planning scheme before, but now have varying levels of protection, and that is a wonderful thing,” Cr Leppert said.

“[This] finally brings those heritage controls for Southbank up to date. In such a central city, highly contested area where land values are high, that is no small feat. This is a spectacular achievement.”

“I kicked this project off five years ago and I am thrilled we finally got here. Thank you to the City of Melbourne heritage team, our heritage consultants Biosis and to Southbank local residents and Melbourne Heritage Action for your relentless advocacy.”

Speaking at a December 15 council meeting last year when the amendment was adopted by councillors, Lord Mayor Sally Capp said it was important to protect buildings or locations of importance, even in areas not renowned for their historical landmarks.

“I know some people would be very surprised that there is indeed heritage to protect in Southbank,” she said.

“It is an area more renowned for modern skyscrapers than it is for heritage. But now, through this work, we’re going to be able to preserve and protect those stories, that character and that personality that Southbank can proudly claim as its own.”

The locations (some with multiple sites) added include:

The former Castlemaine Brewery – Queensbridge St.

The Queensbridge Hotel.

The Robur Tea Company Factory Warehouse – Queensbridge St

The former Crown Chemical Co warehouse – City Rd

The New St John’s Lutheran Church – Southgate

The former Maurice Artaud & Co. façade - City Rd

The former PMG Postal Workshops, Garage & Stores complex – corner of Dodds and Grant streets

The old Austral Otis engineering works, later Regent House – corner of Kings Way and Kavanagh St

The Vault – Grant St

The Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board Electricity Substation “S” – Clarke St

Five substations at 99A Sturt St, 79 Fawkner St, 33 Hancock St, 7 Moray St and 175 Sturt St

10 bluestone pitched laneways •