KINGSTON Council has agreed to attempt to engage an independent consultant to determine whether “a State heritage registration or local Heritage Overlay” for Pompei Boatshed would likely be successful.
The motion was carried at the 27 August public council meeting, in which councillors Rosemary West and David Eden voted in favour, and the remainder of council abstained.
Cr West brought forward the notice of motion, telling council that “the local village boatworks has been an essential part of that fishing village atmosphere [at Mordialloc]. Everyone who goes through Mordialloc, everybody who lives here, everybody really cares about this. We as a community would be so much poorer if we allow it to go.”
“I can’t comment on the officer recommendation because it’s in confidence, but I can say that the officer recommendation follows the existing position, which is that when council’s existing heritage overlay was adopted in 2001, no heritage overlay was placed on the Pompei boatshed. When the Mordialloc structure plan was adopted, basically the decision was made to allow that building to be rezoned for four storey development.
“In a sense I think that those two decisions went together, the decision to rezone for development and the decision not to proceed with a heritage overlay.”
The boatyard is on crown land, which was sold in December 2017 for $2.85 million. Council now has an application for a four storey apartment building with 13 units on the site.
A heritage overlay would ensure that a planning permit is required to subdivide or consolidate land, demolish or remove a building, construct a building, externally alter a building, construct or carry out works, construct or display a sign, or externally paint an unpainted surface.
A group titled ‘Save Pompei’s Landing” has been lobbying to get the area heritage listed by Heritage Victoria to protect it from any future changes. The group is led by Leon Pompei, son of ‘Mr Mordialloc’ Jack Pompei.
An application was recently made to have the area heritage listed by the Heritage Council of Victoria, but a recommendation report from executive director Steven Avery recommended that “the place NOT be included in the Victorian Heritage Register”.
Instead, it was recommended that the Heritage Council “refer the recommendation to the City of Kingston for inclusion of the place in the local Heritage Overlay”, the reason being that “the information presented in this report demonstrates that Pompei’s Marine Boat Works and Landing may be of potential local significance, rather than state level significance.”
The ‘Save Pompei’s Landing’ group held a meeting on 1 September, where it was decided that they should submit an application objecting to the executive director’s recommendations.
As part of the motion carried at the Kingston council meeting it was also decided that “if the heritage consultant doesn’t believe such an application would be successful” then no further action would be taken.
In February 2018 an agreement was made for Leon Pompei to sign a nine year lease on the land at a rate of $104 per annum after a lengthy legal battle with council.
Council’s correspondence with Heritage Victoria on the heritage listing of Pompei Boatshed was decided in the confidential section of the 27 August public meeting.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 12 September 2018
