Geelong councillors hope the introduction of new guidelines around heritage buildings to the municipal planning scheme will safeguard the region’s architectural history.
Council adopted the Greater Geelong Heritage Design Guidelines 2025 this week, with the City to request the planning minister to authorise the preparation and exhibition of an amendment to incorporate them into the planning scheme.
The new guidelines are intended to help property owners, developers, designers, consultants and City heritage place managers to interpret the City’s heritage overlay laws to preserve buildings of historical significance while facilitating development.
Councillor Andrew Katos, chair of the City’s planning committee, said the updated guidelines were well overdue.
“The last time we had a refresh of (heritage guidelines) was 1997…that’s 28 years, so it was important to take another look at them,” he said.
Long-time heritage advocate Jennifer Bantow spoke during the council meeting, expressing both her congratulations to the City on its “comprehensive and thorough” document and her concerns around potential gaps in the guidelines.
“Not long ago we lost two important heritage places in central Geelong – both in Malop St – to facadism,” she said.
“In 2016, Dalgety & Co at 1 Malop St was demolished except for parts of two walls. The following year, in 2017, only two external walls were partially left when the Carlton Hotel at 13 to 19 Malop Street was demolished…such a fabulous, complete Art Deco building, inside and out.”
The City’s executive director of placemaking Tennille Bradley said the new guidelines explicitly discouraged facadism.
“The guidelines clearly state that retention of only the front facade – in other words, facadism – provides limited appreciation of the building’s significance,” she said.
“The focus is on retaining significant fabric and the building’s three-dimensional form, rather than a facade-only approach.”
Councillor Anthony Aitken said in the cases Ms Bantow mentioned, the minister for planning had given approval for the buildings’ demolition.
“In central Geelong, unfortunately, the council isn’t the relevant planning authority for (CBD developments) over 5000 square metres…the minister for planning is,” he said.
“But guidelines such as these we’re adopting tonight are trying to give some influence to the Geelong Authority and the planning minister about what the Geelong community wants in terms of its CBD.”
