Neighbours: Heritage protection rejected for Ramsay Street houses

There could be changes in store at Ramsay St after plans to protect the famous Neighbours houses were rejected.

Whitehorse councillors have rejected a proposal for six homes in Ramsay St — also known as Pin Oak Court — to be given heritage protection.

A report presented to the Whitehorse Council meeting on Monday night called for the famous Neighbours filming location to be preserved for generations to come.

A heritage assessment prepared for the council found that Pin Oak Court Vermont South is of “historic, aesthetic and social significance”, and as such, warrants inclusion in the heritage overlay (HO).

But after a heated debate, the majority of councillors voted against the heritage overlay plan for properties at 1 – 6 Pin Oak Court.

Councillors instead agreed to not proceed with seeking a heritage overlay on the six properties.

Cr Andrew Munroe questioned who would benefit from the heritage listing.

“Pin Oak Court is no Como House … it’s no Windsor Castle. It’s six residential homes that are 40 – 50 years old in an isolated cul-de-sac,” he said.

He said a heritage listing would impose conditions that would limit the homeowners’ rights, with provisions that would last decades.

“When the (security) guards are gone what is the intent – to have an unregulated museum to pop culture for these poor residents?” he said.

Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan reprised their roles as Scott and Charlene for the Neighbours finale.

He said like The Sullivans before it, in the coming decades Neighbours and the Pin Oak Court home facades would fade from memory, but the heritage constraint would remain.

Cr Mark Lane said it was “hard to agree” the street had heritage significance.

He said some of the residents wanted to renovate, rebuild or add onto those properties.

“Neighbours finished for a reason – it was a great show but the ratings dropped,” Cr Lane said.

He said just four people recently went on a Neighbours tour down the street.

But Cr Prue Cutts said Neighbours was an iconic Australian TV show watched by millions across the world, and the homes deserved heritage protection.

She said Neighbours was an important part of Australian TV history, and had launched the careers of many international stars, including Kylie Minogue.

She said she was “very disappointed” the bid for heritage protection had been stopped in its tracks.

Cr Ben Stennett also supported the heritage bid, and said it was hard to justify going against the report, which was extremely favourable of giving heritage protection to the homes.

Cr Stennett, Cr Cutts, and Cr Amanda McNeill voted in favour of giving the homes heritage protection, with Cr Munroe, Cr Lane, Cr Liu, Cr Barker, Cr Skilbeck and Cr Massoud opposed to the move.

Report authors GJM Heritage advised that Pin Oak Court in combination with the nearby former ATV-O Television Studios at 104-168 Hawthorn Rd, Forest Hill may be of state-level significance for its association with the filming and production of Neighbours.

It suggested the sites could be added to the Victorian Heritage Register.

The study noted that ‘Ramsay Street’ is potentially of historical and social significance at the state level and arguably at an international level.

“For around three decades, it served as the keynote location for the filming of a popular television series with an international audience,” the report said.

Homes along Pin Oak Court Vermont South which appeared as Ramsay Street in Neighbours.

Private contracts between property owners and the TV production company have protected the internationally famous streetscape from change to date, however, as these were private contracts it was unclear whether that protection will apply now that Neighbours has finished.

The last-ever episode of Neighbours aired in July, ending a 37-year run for the popular Australian soap.

Speaking in March, Cr Andrew Davenport said Pin Oak Court was an “iconic street and precinct within the City of Whitehorse”.

But Cr Andrew Munroe disagreed, saying putting a heritage overlay on the homes was a “terribly unfair burden for a bit of pop culture nostalgia”.