Thank you to everyone who submitted feedback. This consultation has now closed while officers consider feedback and progress this piece of work.
Heritage plays a vital role in shaping the character of Moonee Valley and enriches our sense of identity. By conserving buildings, landscapes, and other cultural resources, we ensure that these assets are maintained for future generations. Key features are managed by planning scheme overlays.
Heritage studies are detailed investigations into places which may have significance and inform new controls. They include:
- research into the history of a place or area
- information about why a place may be significant, and identifies what is significant
- recommendations to protect the place though a statutory planning control (i.e. Heritage Overlay)
- a Statement of Significance for each place or precinct.
The Moonee Valley Heritage Study 2023 (the Study) is the final instalment of Council’s pro-active Heritage program, which commenced in 2014. Previous work has assessed the heritage value of Inter-war, Edwardian and Victorian places not already covered by the Heritage Overlay in the Moonee Valley Planning Scheme. For more details on Heritage studies at Moonee Valley click here.
The Study has identified the heritage significance of:
- 43 individual places,
- 3 new precincts,
- 5 extensions to existing precincts, and
- 3 individual places to be added to an existing serial listing.
The areas with the most identified properties are Ascot Vale, Essendon and Moonee Ponds.
Consultation was carried out in mid-2023. The ‘Have Your Say’ consultation process enabled Council to engage with affected property owners and the broader community. Feedback was provided on the draft Study and several of the heritage Citations.
Given the extent of community feedback, Council engaged an independent heritage consultant to peer review the Study and Citations to ensure that the Study’s findings and recommended outcomes are comprehensive and robust. The peer review has been completed.
Due to multiple Victorian Government planning reforms (reforms) throughout 2025, further consultation with property owners on the peer review of the Heritage Study 2023 and an anticipated future amendment will be considered in the second half of 2025.
Pending the reforms, and the outcomes of consultation on the peer review, it is anticipated that Council officers will prepare a report for Council in 2025 and will likely include a recommendation to seek authorisation from the Minister for Planning to prepare a planning scheme amendment; to implement the outcomes of the final Study and prepare permanent heritage controls. It’s anticipated that Interim planning controls will also be requested from the Minister for Planning to provide more immediate protection while the process for permanent heritage controls is being followed.
Property owners will be advised of any further informal consultation that may be undertaken (prior to finalising the Study), along with the Council meeting that will consider the Council officer's report.
