Hobsons Bay Council’s heritage advisor has recommended against proceeding with the controversial redevelopment plans for the Williamstown Life Saving Club in their current form.
The multi-million dollar project to transform the club to meet modern requirements has been mired in a fraught planning process since 2021. The current plans have generated controversy due to the inclusion of a two-storey building with a function venue, gym, expanded members areas and facilities encroaching onto public land.
Over the past year residents have been frustrated by Council’s refusal to release for public scrutiny its own internal heritage report.
The Westsider has received a copy of the report following an FOI application. Compiled in July 2025 the report is critical of many aspects of the proposed development including its impact on ‘key view lines’ due to its height and mass.
“The extent of demolition and external alterations to the 1935 clubhouse, including the removal of a substantial amount of fabric of primary significance is a major heritage concern. It will distort understanding of the historical form and scale of the clubhouse,” the report says. “The proposed addition is too visually dominant in scale and massing in relation to the historic clubhouse and heritage precinct HO5.”
The report concludes that the proposal, jointly sponsored by Council and the club, “does not meet heritage policy or guidelines and is not supported in its current form”.
