Heritage plays an important role in making Frankston city a place where people love to live, work and visit. Our heritage contributes to the city’s unique character and tells the story of our past.
In 2020, we introduced the Local Heritage Preservation Grant (LHPG) Program. The program has a total funding pool of $40,000 to support works that conserve and enhance places of heritage significance in the municipality.
Individuals, community groups or organisations who own or manage a property in a Heritage Overlay can apply for financial support for the following works:
- maintenance
- repair
- restoration
- enhancement.
To find out if a property is a registered site, view the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay at Clause 43.01 of the Frankston Planning Scheme.
To be considered for a grant, you will need to submit an online application form through our Smarty Grants platform.
Applications will open in the 2023/2024 financial year.
Before applying, read the Local Heritage Preservation Grant Program Guidelines(PDF, 695KB) .
You may also need a Statement of Significance to support your application.
The program supports conservation works to buildings, structures, fences and sites across the Frankston municipality that are not managed by Council. This may include:
- repointing
- removal of render or paint to restore original heritage brick
- removal of non-original elements such as a front fence or car port extension.
To be eligible for a grant, the proposed works must:
- enhance the original or early appearance and the overall improvement of the heritage place
- be generally visible from the street
- be undertaken in accordance with the original heritage design style and features of the heritage place.
Up to $10,000 is available for each project.
The financial amount contributed by Council is calculated on a dollar-by-dollar basis and is dependent on the number of successful applications.
You cannot apply for a grant for works that have already commenced, or if you have engaged a contractor to carry out the works.
Works to the external fabric of a heritage place are generally ineligible for funding. This may include:
- new outbuildings
- pools and spas
- works that do not accord with the original heritage design style
- interior renovations (internal alterations to a building or dwelling where internal controls do not apply)
- modern additions or extensions routine maintenance considered to be for the general upkeep of any property
- speculative construction works (where there is no evidence of the proposed element such as a pre-existing chimney).
If your application for a grant is successful, you will need to:
- make the building available for photography (which may be used by Council)
- notify Council when works are completed
- provide Council with a receipt from respective builders or contractors
- provide Council with photographs of the completed works.
It is important to note that restoration work can be more complex than general building work. Your preferred tradespeople will need to demonstrate previous experience in this kind of work.
Restoration and reconstruction works must reproduce early construction methods and materials. Modern replacement materials such as polystyrene mouldings, acrylic renders or colorbond finishes are unlikely to receive support.
Conservation works involves the repair and conservation of a building/structure that contributes to the recognised significance of the place.
Restoration or reconstruction works can take many forms but always aim to return a building to its known early state. This may include:
- repair of an early cast iron fence
- replacement of a modern tiled roof with original slates
- reinstatement of a missing veranda
- removal of a modern carport addition.
It must be clear that the works lean towards restoring the original appearance of the building.
The original appearance can be established through early documentation of the property. This may include:
- building plans
- photographs
- drawings
- evidence obtained by an examination of the building.
The Program cannot assist with speculative reconstruction works in which the early appearance of the building is not known.