Heritage and planning

Council is responsible for protecting important heritage places through the Kingston Planning Scheme under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

Heritage protection

The Kingston Planning Scheme protects heritage places and manages future development of heritage places through:

policies to protect significant landmarks and places, and
planning controls to ensure development does not adversely affect the significance of heritage places.

Heritage policies

The Heritage conservation - Kingston policy (Clause 15.03-1L) applies to all properties covered by the Heritage Overlay, and provides guidance for building and works, including:

Subdivision
Demolition
New buildings and additions
Carports
Restoration and conservation

Heritage planning controls

The Heritage Overlay is a planning control in the Kingston Planning Scheme that protects places of local heritage significance.

The Heritage Overlay can apply to individual places or areas (precincts), as well as buildings, objects and trees which are identified as being of heritage significance.

If your property is affected by the Heritage Overlay, you may need a planning permit to undertake any development or works. Permit requirements are outlined at Clause 43.01-1.

For more information about permit requirements under the Heritage Overlay, you can ask a Kingston planner by calling the Statutory Planning Team on 9581 4130.

Heritage places in Kingston

More than 120 significant places are included in the Heritage Overlay in the Kingston Planning Scheme. These are listed in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay: Locally significant places in Kingston.

Nine of these heritage places are rated as being of state significance, and are also included on the Victorian Heritage Register: State significant places in Kingston.

Heritage studies and reviews

Our heritage studies assess and document the significance of local places in Kingston. They also inform the permanent protection of properties by the Heritage Overlay planning control in the Kingston Planning Scheme.

Thematic Environmental History

The Kingston Thematic Environmental History (TEH) documents the municipality’s historical development and provides important context for future identification, review and assessment of heritage places.

The TEH will be updated periodically as required, when new understanding of Kingston’s development is unearthed through further research.

The objectives of the TEH are to:

Provide a clear and comprehensive explanation of the themes and sub-themes that have been important in shaping the history of the City of Kingston.
Provide a sound basis for the identification, review and assessment of heritage places within Kingston.
Provide information on places of potential significance for which physical evidence may be negligible.
Be a ‘living’ document that can be readily updated and amended, as required, to ensure that it remains relevant and accessible and continuously reflects the diverse and evolving history of Kingston.

A copy of the TEH can be found on the Kingston's Plans, policies, and reports page.

Kingston Heritage Study 2000

The Kingston Heritage Study undertook a comprehensive review of Kingston’s cultural heritage and informed permanent planning protection to significant places as part of planning scheme amendment C46. The Study was adopted by Council in 2004.

Stage 1 Study Report (Kingston Heritage Study 2000) includes the first Kingston Thematic Environmental History and preliminary list of potential heritage significance sites
Stage 2 Heritage Assessments (Kingston Heritage Study 2000) provides detailed heritage citations for all the recommended places and precincts of local heritage significance, as identified as in the Stage 1 Report.