As the weather warms up and people look to get their home renos done, Council is reminding homeowners about their permit requirements in heritage overlays.
Protecting the history and heritage of Hobsons Bay is a key priority for Council, and permits are required for most external modifications in these overlays, regardless of whether the individual house has heritage value.
About 7,800 properties lie within a heritage overlay zone in Hobsons Bay – most being in the Williamstown, Newport, Altona and Spotswood areas. Buildings in Hobsons Bay deemed as having heritage value represent every architectural era, including the Victorian 1840s, Queen Anne (1895-1910) era, the Edwardian (1901-1917) and Bungalow (1910-1930) periods, as well as the inter- and post-war eras.
External works in heritage overlays that need planning permission include solar panel installations, building extensions and window replacements. The maximum court fine for conducting works in a heritage overlay without a permit is $300,000 in addition to the costs to reconstruct any removed heritage items.
Earlier this year, a Newport property owner was ordered to pay $87,000 in fines and costs for illegally demolishing all but the front wall of a heritage protected building in April 2020. A planning permit allowed the demolition of the rear of the building and required the retention of its chimneys and front rooms.
