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Amendment C353boro proposes to apply the Heritage Overlay to 3 individual heritage places and regrade 33 Thornton Street, Kew from a non-contributory to a contributory place in the Thornton Estate Residential Precinct (HO806).
Current status (September 2022)
On 30 August 2022, the Minister for Planning approved Amendment C353boro Part 2 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme. The amendment and revised planning controls came into effect on 8 September 2022.
You can access a copy of the approved amendment documentation and associated planning controls here.
Amendment C353 propose to apply the Heritage Overlay to the following individually significant heritage places:
- 26 Goldthorns Avenue, Kew
- 3-5 Florence Avenue, Kew
- 97 Argyle Road, Kew
- Regrade 33 Thornton Street, Kew from non-contributory to a contributory place in the Thornton Estate Residential Precinct (HO806).
The amendment gives effect to recommendations made by the independent Planning Panel appointed to consider submissions to Amendment C294. Amendment C294 implemented the recommendations of the City of Boroondara Municipal-Wide Heritage Gap Study Volume 4: Kew.
The Panel for Amendment C294 recommended that Council:
- Complete further investigations to work out if 3 places in the abandoned Goldthorns Hill and Environs Precinct and 4 properties in the abandoned Clifton Estate Residential Precinct should be included in the Heritage Overlay as individually significant heritage places.
- Regrade 33 Thornton Street, Kew, in the Thornton Estate Residential Precinct (HO806), from a non-contributory to contributory place through a separate planning scheme amendment process.
Council’s Urban Planning Special Committee (UPSC) considered the independent Panel’s recommendations for Amendment C294 on 20 July 2020.
Council’s UPSC resolved to adopt the Panel’s recommendations and investigate the heritage significance of the 7 individual places identified by the planning panel and complete a planning scheme amendment to give effect to the grading change recommendation for 33 Thornton Street, Kew.
Amendment C353 gives effect to the Panel’s recommendations.
The panel report and UPSC agenda and minutes can be downloaded in the Downloads section below.
Proposed Individual heritage places
Former Watson Residence (3–5 Florence Avenue, Kew)
After further investigation, the 1915 dwelling designed by prominent Melbourne architect Phillip B. Hudson for Officer J.P Watson was recommended for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay as an individually significant heritage place.
The house is of local historical (Criterion A), architectural (Criterion D) and aesthetic (Criterion E) significance to the City of Boroondara.
The house is described as a fine representative example of an attic bungalow of the late Federation era with projecting balcony, incorporating covered balcony or sleepout at first floor level. It demonstrates characteristic elements of the early residential work of Phillip B. Hudson such as the combination of Arts & Crafts style with the attic bungalow.
In addition to the house’s architectural and aesthetic values, the house is of local historical significance as a relatively early example of an attic bungalow that represents an informal ruralised style of architecture in an urban setting and the affluence and growth of the middle-class suburbs of the municipality in the early twentieth century.
Seeger House (26 Goldthorns Avenue, Kew)
Seeger House was built in 1938 for Victor C. Seeger by his brother, builder William F. Seeger. The house has been recommended for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay as an individually ‘significant’ heritage place.
The house is of local architectural (Criterion D) and aesthetic (Criterion E) significance to the City of Boroondara.
The property is described as a fine and highly intact representative example of the interwar Old English style. It demonstrates key elements of this style, such as a steeply pitched complex roof form with vergeless gables and corbelled eaves, the use of clinker face brick, the presence of substantial chimneys, diamond leadlight windows, and an oriel window.
Aesthetically, the house is of significance for its landmark qualities as a 3-dimensionally modelled building set on a prominent elevated corner site and high-quality decorative detailing.
‘Skye’ (former), ‘Argyle’ (97 Argyle Road, Kew)
Argyle is a single-storey house built in 1929 on a large block of land overlooking the former Outer Circle Line reserve. The house was recommended for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay as an individually significant heritage place.
The house is of local architectural (Criterion D) and aesthetic (Criterion E) significance to the City of Boroondara
The house is significant for demonstrating the principal characteristics of interwar Arts and Crafts domestic design, including a design in-the-round that can be appreciated from multiple viewpoints, a dominant roof form, the use of a variety of ‘honest’ materials to provide visual interest, and a free use of medieval inspiration.
The house is also described as having a highly accomplished and idiosyncratic design and detailing.
33 Thornton Street, Kew heritage regrading
During the Panel hearing process for Amendment C294, Council’s heritage expert undertook further research and found the dwelling at 33 Thornton Street, Kew remained substantially intact and the initial non-contributory grading for the property was incorrect and the property should be graded contributory.
The initial heritage assessment for the precinct assumed that the first floor of the house was a late addition to the original C1924 house. However, further investigations, undertaken as part of the panel hearing for Amendment C294, found that the first floor was in fact part of the original dwelling and not a late addition as originally thought.
Some alterations have been made to the original street elevation including the replacement of windows, the addition of a carport and replacement of the front porch balustrade. Despite these alterations, the house was considered to be intact enough to contribute to the understanding of the Thornton Estate’s interwar origins and is an example of an early interwar residence.
The Panel agreed with Council’s heritage expert and recommended that 33 Thornton Street, Kew be regraded from non-contributory to contributory and the Thornton Estate Residential Precinct Statement of Significance be amended to reflect the property’s correct grading through a separate planning scheme amendment process.
More information
For more information, contact Amanda Seymour, Senior Strategic Planner (Monday to Wednesday) on:
phone: (03) 9278 4535
email: [email protected]
Amendment Documents
Incorporated Documents
Background Documents
Privacy Statement
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