A Heritage Overlay on your property will mean that, in most instances, you will need a planning permit from Council to subdivide the land, construct a building, carry out alterations or erect a sign.

Council officers will need to consider the heritage significance of your property before making a decision on a planning permit application, which seeks to modify the appearance of your property.

A planning permit is not required for repairs or routine maintenance that do not change the appearance of the heritage place or for internal alterations, unless the interior are deemed significant.

The City of Melbourne has range of support materials available to people who live in, or work with, heritage places, including the Heritage Owner's Guide and the Heritage Design Guide.

A planning scheme is a legal document that sets out planning policies, zones, overlays and other rules affecting how land can be used and developed in the municipality. It sets out what we can and cannot do on different areas of land in the city; for example, whether the land can be used for housing or a shop or business, what the height of a building should be, and how much open space should be provided.

As our city grows and changes, planning controls may be changed or updated to reflect the new circumstances. A change to the planning scheme is known as an amendment.

The process for an amendment is set out in the Planning and Environment Act 1987. The amendment process has a number of steps.

For more information, see the planning scheme amendment process.

The Heritage Overlay identifies places which are of heritage importance. The overlay seeks to conserve and enhance places of natural and cultural significance, and ensure that new development does not adversely affect the significance of the heritage place.

Under the Heritage Overlay, a planning permit is required from Council to:

• Demolish or remove a building (including part of a building)
• Construct a building (including part of a building)
• Externally alter a building
• Construct or carry out works
• Construct or display a sign
• Externally paint an unpainted surface
• Externally paint a building if the painting constitutes an advertisement.
• A permit is not required for internal works unless the interiors are deemed significant.

The City of Melbourne’s heritage policies guide applicants and planners in preparing and assessing applications for planning permits under the Heritage Overlay. The policies encourage development that is in harmony with the existing character and appearance of heritage places. Different requirements apply depending on the heritage category which applies to a building.

The Heritage Places Inventory is an Incorporated Document in the Melbourne Planning Scheme, it lists properties within the Heritage Overlay and identifies their heritage category. Properties are either Significant, Contributory or Non-contributory. Properties may also be part of a significant streetscape under this system.

The City of Melbourne’s current Parkville heritage information is based on a study completed in 1979, which needs to be reviewed in line with current best practice for Aboriginal, shared, and post contact heritage.

The independent consultant will make recommendations on:

1. Updates to the thematic environmental history, including Aboriginal heritage.
2. Changes to existing heritage places / precincts.
3. Proposed new heritage places / precincts that need protection.

The feedback you provide will help to:

1. Bring to our attention any places that need to be investigated for heritage protection in the Melbourne Planning Scheme.
2. Add to our knowledge and understanding of existing heritage places and, potentially, add information to written documentation held on them.
3. Build our understanding of the places that the community values and why.

The Heritage Review is likely to be completed by the end of June 2022. The next stage is to report its recommendations to Council in order to:

1. Seek to protect the heritage places identified.
2. Implement the Review via an amendment to the Melbourne Planning Scheme. The planning scheme amendment process will provide opportunities for the community to provide feedback on the Review. The timing of the planning scheme amendment has not been determined, but is likely to be prepared in late 2022.

This page will be updated as the project progresses. To receive email updates, follow this page.