Colourful Locavore Studio mural on Lilydale’s Main St to be removed by Yarra Ranges Council

It’s fast become a vibrant focal point of Lilydale’s main street, but now a popular mural has been deemed illegal, and not an appropriate part of the heritage-protected building it’s painted on. So what now for the “culturally rich and unique” artwork?

The mural on the side of Lilydale’s Locavore Studio is scheduled to be removed.

Hundreds of people are demanding a colourful mural on the side of a heritage-protected building in Lilydale not be painted over, despite there being no permit for it.

The artwork on the side of Main St cafe Locavore Studio is due to be removed on September 22, following a series of complaints about the artwork.

But a petition calling for the artwork to be kept, launched on Sunday night, already has more than 1600 signatures.

Cafe owner Jessie Crossley, and artists Paul and Georgie Sonsie are campaigning to keep the mural. Picture: Stuart Milligan

The mural’s artists, Paul and Georgie Sonsie of Sonsie Studios, said the mural respected the building’s heritage, while representing change in Lilydale and bringing colour and vibrancy to the town.

“It lifts the whole calibre of the street,” Paul said.

Georgie said the “culturally rich and unique” work showed Lilydale was forward-thinking and valued art.

She said it was a refreshing change from the standard advertising signs and graffiti on other walls around the town.

She said the petition was designed to create a voice for all the people who supported the mural, in an attempt to combat the complaints submitted to Yarra Ranges Council.

The mural is located on the exterior wall of Locavore Studio along Hutchinson St.

“People love it,” she said.

The Healesville artists were commissioned to paint the mural in August last year by Jessie Crossley, who owns the cafe in the building, Locavore Studio.

Ms Crossley said she met with the council to get approval for the mural before she opened the cafe a year ago and filed an application for the work.

She said when she didn’t hear back on her application after weeks she decided to go ahead with the mural.

But complaints came in as soon as it was up, and the council requested she file a new application for a planning permit.

She said the application was rejected in December, and she had been told other businesses had complained about the work not fitting in with the area.

The mural was put up in August 2018.

She has since been trying to work with the council to stop the mural’s removal.

Ms Crossley said Lilydale had “that many white walls with crazy amounts of graffiti”, compared to the mural, which had replaced graffiti tags and attracted business to Lilydale.

Yarra Ranges Council director of social and economic development James Collins confirmed the council last year rejected a “retrospective” application for the mural.

Mr Collins said the council had to refuse the application because the mural did not align with the State Government’s heritage planning controls.

“Over the course of the application, the council outlined support for artwork along the building, but articulated the need for any artwork to meet the heritage controls required by the overlay and suggested alternative design options for the mural.”

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“We respect the significance of public artwork in the Yarra Ranges and the quality of the current mural, however the council is required to ensure the planning laws set by the State Government are upheld.”

He said the council had asked for the mural to be removed by September 22, but hoped to work with the applicant to get the best result for the site, balancing public art with the planning requirements.

Heritage Victoria was contacted for comment.