Glen Eira Council votes to include former ABC site in heritage overlay

A final bid has been made to slap heritage protection on a former ABC studio, restricting development at the Elsternwick site. But the independent broadcaster maintains the site — once home to some of Australia’s most famous TV shows — has no significance.

Molly Meldrum at the ABC Gordon St farewell party. Picture: Mark Stewart

Glen Eira Council has made a final bid to save the former ABC studio site in Elsternwick from the wrecking ball.

Councillors last night unanimously voted to slap a heritage overlay on the Gordon St building, where Countdown, Kath & Kim and Spicks and Specks were filmed.

It comes after an independent panel found the site, known as the “dream factory”, had “cultural heritage significance” at a local level.

Earlier efforts to future-proof Studio 31 — backed by a chorus of musicians and comedians, including Molly Meldrum — fell short after Heritage Victoria last year ruled it was not worth protecting.

A swathe of high profile musicians and comedians joined Cr Mary Delahunty to call for the Gordon St building to be listed for heritage protection. Picture: Josie Hayden

Pleas for the site to be gifted to the community for affordable housing and open space were also rejected.

The site, in a residential growth zone, was put on the market last year with price expectations of $40 million, but negotiations have been put in a holding pattern pending the protection bid.

Under the council overlay developers would face restrictions, including retaining the transmission tower and applying for permits to paint the tower and alter the building’s interior.

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Cr Joel Silver told last night’s meeting it was “fantastic to be at the end” of an uphill battle.

“We’ve pushed on this for a while … and we did make efforts to work with the ABC but the process was quite difficult, particularly given their insistence there was no heritage value in the site,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing this site remain in Glen Eira for the foreseeable future.”

The ABC refuted the panel’s claims the building had cultural significance, noting an earlier report, commissioned by the independent broadcaster, deemed the site “did not demonstrate Commonwealth heritage values”.

The proposed overlay now faces a final hurdle — approval from Planning Minister Richard Wynne.

Meanwhile, a battle is still raging over a proposed 12-storey development at another ABC site in Elsternwick.

The site in Selwyn St was snapped up by Woolworths for $45 million in 2017.