The City of Melton Heritage Advisory Service is situated within the Planning Department’s Strategic Planning Unit. The service is staffed by a Heritage Advisor once a week and can be contacted on 9747 7200.

The advisory service provides free advice to residents on issues relating to dry stone walls, archaeological sites, heritage properties or historic landscapes. Most enquiries will involve properties listed on the Heritage Overlay. Certain works in a Heritage Overlay may require a planning permit, depending on the works. You can find out if your property is in a Heritage Overlay and the overlay number by creating a Planning Report at Planning Maps Online.

Under the Heritage Overlay a planning permit is required to:

• subdivide or consolidate land
• demolish or remove a building (including part of a building)
• construct a building (including part of a building, or a fence)
• externally alter a building
• construct or carry out works
• construct or display a sign
• externally paint an unpainted surface.

In some instances, external paint controls and controls over trees may apply. The Schedule to the Heritage Overlay will identify whether these additional controls apply to your property.

If a planning permit is required, Council will assess the proposal using the Heritage Victoria Planning Permit Application Guidelines. These guidelines can be accessed via Heritage Victoria's website.

Before carrying out any works or committing to a project you should contact Council's Statutory Planning team to seek assistance regarding planning information.

For more information or assistance regarding planning information, contact Council's Statutory Planning Officer on 9747 7200.