Celebrating the past
Embracing the future
“Bayside has a rich history and heritage, of which the Bayside community is proud
to celebrate and possess. Historic buildings, landscapes, places and objects all
contribute to Bayside’s liveability, character and community cohesion. Protecting
and celebrating these places is therefore a vital function of Council.”
Bayside Council Officer, Ordinary Council meeting April 23rd, 2024
Who is the Bayside Heritage Group?
We are a group of Bayside residents advocating for protection of our important Heritage
homes and neighbourhood character.
Aims
We aim to lobby and encourage Council to progress the heritage studies mandated by the
Victorian Government and outlined in The Bayside Council Heritage Action Plan 2020,
without further delays.
We wish to cooperate with like-minded community groups and residents of the City of
Bayside, Victoria.
To this end we wish to engage residents in a dynamic group and to draw on their skills
and knowledge at whatever level of involvement or interest they would like to offer.
We are not anti-development
Appropriate development is required in our suburbs and we are not anti-development. We
do see the urgent need for heritage protection to preserve our neighbourhood character
and streetscapes.
Through experience, we have learned that it is too late to save “Heritage Homes” once an adverse zoning is in place. Purchasers can do what they like within the law and that is as it should be. Our responsibility and task is to make sure appropriate zones and overlays are in place so everyone knows what is protected and what we are happy to let go for new development. The Council needs to step up and review all Bayside areas so the Community can strike the right balance. We want to live in suburbs which retain the best of the old and welcome the best of the new.
If you would like to join us or make contact please email
baysideheritagegroup@gmail.com
Let’s celebrate our community and its love of our craftsmen-built homes of the past and
adapt these treasures to modern living requirements. Let’s embrace a future where our
descendants and new residents live in and around our cherished homes and
neighbourhoods.
Current Campaign
Our current focus is on Hampton and Sandringham.
Many residents have been shocked and distressed to see homes earmarked for protection
by heritage consultants, demolished because of to lack of protection as a result of the
Bayside Heritage Action Plan being delayed.
The residential zones of Hampton and Sandringham’s Major Activity Centres need urgent
action to protect some of the heritage homes, whilst acknowledging the need to
accommodate denser housing and welcome new residents to our suburbs.
In February 2024 we created a petition to urge Bayside Council to progress the heritage
studies which would enable the necessary safeguards to ensure the livability and
enjoyment of Hampton and Sandringham’s built history.
Thank you to those more than 1000 residents who signed our petition.
The Bayside Council Officer’s report to the Councilors was debated at the Council
meeting on Tuesday 18th of June.
The minutes record the following.
That Council:
- notes the options available to undertake future heritage studies
- undertakes a review of the heritage action plan, including recommendations for the
progress of the Interwar Heritage Study and any Gap analysis - receives a report at the March 2025 Council Meeting.
We will lobby the Council candidates for the October 2024 elections and the new
Councillors to progress the work for heritage protection.