The Hoddle Grid, which comprises the original 1837 layout for Melbourne, is laid over a landscape rich with history. Situated on the north bank of the Birrarung (the Yarra River), and comprising streets, laneways and open spaces, the Hoddle Grid area can be understood in many ways: as a layered landscape that is rich in history, archaeology and urban heritage, and through its connections to Aboriginal Traditional Owners and custodians. The area has long been the heart of Melbourne.
To understand, protect and celebrate those connections, the City of Melbourne (CoM) commissioned Context to prepare the Hoddle Grid Heritage Review over three stages between 2017 and 2020, the most comprehensive review of heritage places in central Melbourne undertaken since the 1990s. The review sought to set a new benchmark for cultural heritage that engaged with thematic and spatial analysis, to reveal a richer and more nuanced understanding of the heritage values of the urban landscape of the central city. Key components were designed to introduce new perspectives – such as Aboriginal community connections to historic places – and fill gaps on twentieth century architecture and social values. The scope of the project created an opportunity to engage Traditional Owners, interested groups and individuals and to identify the heritage places important to them.
In collaboration with On Country Heritage and Consulting, Context’s Stage 2 report included pre-contact and post-contact histories, predictive mapping, comparative analyses, descriptions and place assessments. Each of the three Traditional Owner organisations recognised by the City of Melbourne at that time was invited to partner with the project team as co-researchers, choosing and researching specific places, exploring a new model for future projects. In parallel, an analysis of Aboriginal pre-colonial archaeological potential was prepared, and a spatial model developed.
Stages 1 and 2 produced heritage assessments for 64 built heritage places, 6 heritage precincts and 6 Aboriginal heritage places, documented in a six volume technical report in 2019 with three main components: urban and built heritage (Vol. 1 & 2); Aboriginal and shared heritage (Vol. 3, 4 & 5); and community and stakeholder engagement (Vol. 6). The urban and built heritage volumes recommended protection for 137 individual places and five precincts developed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. From a thematic perspective the project sought to understand the human story of the city in finer grained detail, as well as recognise the distinct narratives emerging from retailing and manufacturing, to gathering together and living in the city. Over a third of the identified buildings dated from the postwar period and had not previously been considered for heritage protection.
A peer review of Context’s work by GJM Heritage focused on the potential inclusion of 137 built heritage places and five precincts in the Heritage Overlay. In 2020 the CoM exhibited Amendment C387, and following a rigorous Panel process, in April the City of Melbourne adopted the amendment and in September 2022, permanent protection for 126 buildings and five precincts was granted by the Minister for Planning. In November the City of Melbourne won the 2022 Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) Victorian Awards for Planning Excellence for Strategic Planning. Specialist sub-consultancies who contributed to the project were Ochre Imprints, On Country Heritage & Consulting, and Spatial Vision. [Sources: https://www.gml.com.au/projects/the-hoddle-grid-heritage-review/; Context Pty Ltd]