• Policy application specifying that the policy applies to all land within the Heritage Overlay
• General strategies that are of an overarching nature and relevant to all applications
• Strategies for each of the eleven development themes outlined in the Guidelines
• Policy guidelines for additions
• Policy documents which are the relevant Incorporated and Background documents (such as the City of Port Phillip Heritage Review).

Key changes proposed to the Heritage Policy are:

General:

• Removal of provisions that duplicate state provisions
• Use of consistent, plain-English terminology (except where technical and defined terms are relevant)
• Focus on ‘what’ outcomes are sought, with detailed explanation of ‘how’ these outcomes will be achieved contained within the Guidelines
• Deletion of objectives (no longer permitted under Victorian government planning scheme drafting requirements).

Strategies and policies:

• Inclusion of specific strategies for conservation, significant trees and gardens, sustainability and services, relocation, fencing, signage, subdivision and public realm and infrastructure
• Revised strategies and policies for demolition, visibility of additions and car parking
• Increase from three illustrations to eight figures to depict specific outcomes sought.

The Port Phillip Planning Scheme Review Audit Report (May 2018) identified a number of heritage related issues. This coincided with the commencement of the City of Port Phillip Heritage Program in 2018. One of the key initial pieces of work under the program was the Heritage Here and Now consultation undertaken by Council in 2018, which informed the development of the Heritage Design Guidelines and a new Thematic Environmental History. The new Guidelines in turn informed updates to the local heritage policy and Fishermans Bend Estate and Garden City Estate guidelines.

This was the first time since the local heritage policy and Port Phillip Heritage Review were introduced into the planning scheme in 2000 that there had been a holistic look at the City of Port Phillip’s approach to managing heritage places. Despite this, the outcomes of the work have reinforced that Council’s current approach was generally sound with the result being that the ultimate changes to the controls themselves (the local policy and overlay provisions) took the form of updates to address known and identified gaps and issues and strengthen existing policies, rather than being a complete revision. In addition, changes to the local policy have been made to address the new State government requirements for planning schemes introduced through Amendment VC148.

Another key driver behind the Guidelines was to maximise their usability and present them in a user-friendly way, that uses illustrations and pictures to assist owners, applicants and the broader community to understand desired outcomes to managing heritage places.

The new Thematic Environmental History produced as part of this program was intended to be introduced as a background document as part of Amendment C203port.

However, the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council recently advised Council that they consider that the traditional owners of the land of Port Phillip are represented by the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) and Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (WWWCHAC). In light of this, the Thematic Environmental History requires further review and consultation before it can be implemented into the planning scheme.