In November, we made a submission in support of planning scheme amendment C214, which proposes to implement the findings of the Post-war and Hidden Gems Heritage Review and adopt the City of Glen Eira Thematic Environmental History (Refresh) 2020.

The Post-war and Hidden Gems Heritage Review was prepared by Built Heritage Pty Ltd, with the aim to identify some of the most outstanding heritage places not currently protected within the municipality. Buildings from the 1880s to 1990s have been identified as part of this review with the emphasis being on ‘mid-century modern’ buildings.

The amendment proposes to apply the Heritage Overlay to four heritage precincts and 34 individual heritage places.

We commend Council in particular for their strategic work to identify and assess post-war heritage places, which despite its historic importance, remains vulnerable and without statutory protection. This work positions Glen Eira City Council as a leader in the effort to address the gap in post-war heritage protection. We sincerely hope this work signals to other municipal governments the value of protecting their own post-war heritage places, and how this can contribute to a more holistic understanding of the municipality’s history and development.

We did raise concerns that the Heritage Review was limited in its scope, with the budget only allowing 50 full citations to be prepared. We have therefore strongly encouraged Council to allocate funding in future budgets to complete an assessment of the remaining places identified in Stage One of the Heritage Review, and prepare a planning scheme amendment to apply the Heritage Overlay. This will ensure that places that contribute to the unique history and development of the municipality do not fall through the cracks and are protected from inappropriate development or demolition.

We also raised concerns that of the citations prepared, none of the individual places or precincts were recognised for social significance (Criterion G). Social significance can often be overlooked in the absence of a high level of architectural or aesthetic significance. We have strongly encouraged Council to undertake further work to identify places that have intangible cultural heritage values—and consider how this relates to built fabric—so that the unique history, character, and identity of Glen Eira can be recognised and celebrated.

Read our full submission here.

Feature image Holgar & Holgar, 49 Rosemont Avenue, Caulfield North by Modernist Houses Victoria via Flickr