Protecting Port’s Significant Heritage Places

Port Phillip Planning Scheme Amendment C103: Implementing the Bay St Structure Plan

The Society will present at the Planning Panel considering submissions on this amendment on Friday 2 May.

Two key directions in the amendment strongly supported by the Society are to

• Replace the existing precinct-based Heritage Overlay (HO1) applying to land south of 105 Bay Street in Bay, Beach, Dow and Rouse streets with ten individual heritage overlay controls.
• Remove the Design and Development Overlay 1 (DDO1) from land in Residential 1 Zone in Graham Street, and south of Graham Street in Stokes, Princes, Dow and Pickles streets, Esplanade West, and Beaconsfield Parade

On the first point: While apprehensive at first about the removal of the precinct based heritage control, PMH&PS believes that individual citations for the ten properties will provide a stronger basis for the future protection of these heritage buildings.

By way of example, the three terrace houses at 183-187 Rouse St now have their own citation.

PMH&PS is privileged to have a record of the family story of the building of these houses. Janice Macdonald writes about her forebear Sarah Ann Whiteman Edwards in the first person:

“I was born in a tent on the banks of the Merri Creek, Pentridge in 1842. … Thomas and I had eleven children. Our first three children were born in Melbourne, then eight were born in Sandridge. … My husband and I purchased a property and land in Rouse Street, Sandridge, where Thomas began  his own business as a Farrier. … Our first forge was built beside a small timber dwelling on the corner of a lane. Later on we had a much larger forge built in the lane behind our house. In time we also had three terrace  houses built next to our original house.”

On the second point: Port Phillip’s existing policy south of Graham Street contained two planning controls in tension with each other. The Design and Development Overlay 1 (DDO1) was about guiding development, while the heritage control was about protecting heritage places. By removing the DDO1  from residential properties in Princes, Dow and Pickles streets, Esplanade West, and Beaconsfield Parade, the remaining heritage houses will be better protected from the imperative of further intensive development.

Sources and further information:

MacDonald, J C 2005 in Women of Port Melbourne: Guide to the Exhibition Port Melbourne, Vic: Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society

There are further stories of the remarkable Edwards women in Women of Port Melbourne: Guide to the Exhibition while the yachting prowess of Eli Edwards  is told in A Monkey for a Yacht.