Solomit or Straw Houses Heritage Precinct (HO29)

HO29 is four houses at 169-175 Maidstone Street, Altona, and nothing else. They were designed by the architect Marcus Barlow and built in 1941. The citation describes them as similarly planned and styled ‘Solomit’ or ‘straw houses’, each in the Old English style, constructed using straw insulation and render facing.

The method came out of the war. The citation says the houses used unusual and innovatory building techniques because of materials shortages after the outbreak of World War 2. That is why, alongside historic and aesthetic significance, the citation finds them technically significant: for the way they were built.

What applies here

External paint controls apply in HO29, so repainting the outside can need a planning permit. On these houses the rendered face belongs to what the citation calls a rare construction technique, so treat any change to it as a heritage question. There are no tree controls and internal alterations aren’t controlled. Solar energy systems are, as in every Hobsons Bay precinct.

Why this precinct is protected

The citation finds HO29 of local historic, aesthetic and technical significance to the City of Hobsons Bay. It defines the precinct as:

The Solomit or Straw Houses Heritage Precinct, which comprises four houses, which were designed by Marcus Barlow and constructed in 1941, at 169-175 Maidstone Street, Altona.

Historically, the houses are notable both individually and as a group, as an innovative house type that demonstrates Altona’s development in the Interwar period. They are also important examples of the innovative work of a noted architect, Marcus Barlow.

Aesthetically, they are significant as a cohesive group in the Old English style, distinguished by its rare construction technique.

Technically, the citation puts it this way:

Technically, the houses are significant as rare examples using a pioneering construction method that utilised unusual and innovatory building techniques as a consequence of materials shortages after the outbreak of World War 2.

All four houses are listed as contributory (buildings that add to the precinct’s significance). The citation records their external integrity as high and their external condition as fair. Solomit Ltd is named among the associations, and the setting is a flat area of mostly later detached housing.

The construction is part of what’s protected

The 2006 municipal guidelines say the streetscape view is often the most important thing to retain in a heritage area. HO29 adds something you can’t see from the street: the construction method is one of the three reasons the houses are protected. Re-rendering, recladding or rebuilding an external wall here is a question about significance, not only about appearance.

The same guidelines use a straw house in Altona as their example of an unusual dwelling. Their advice for houses like this is to look for the unusual. The significance may not be obvious: it may sit in an unusual style or material, or in history rather than looks. Work out what is significant about the house and why, then make sure alterations and additions respect those qualities. They suggest writing a checklist of the important elements, marking the areas of significance on a floor plan, and talking to council’s Heritage Advisor while you do it. That analysis should go in with your permit application.

The group is also the unit. The aesthetic case rests on the four houses as a cohesive group, and the guidelines ask that an addition preserve its relationship with adjacent buildings. A change to one house is a change to the set.

The streets in HO29

The schedule describes the precinct as: 169-175 Maidstone Street, Altona.

That is four properties: 169, 171, 173 and 175 Maidstone Street, all contributory. The citation notes other rendered but more plainly designed houses in the street that may have been built using the same product. They aren’t within HO29 as the schedule describes it. Whether any heritage control affects a particular Maidstone Street address is a question for the address check.

The rules that decide your application

The schedule names no precinct-specific design guidelines for this precinct.

That leaves the municipal Guidelines for Alterations and Additions to Dwellings in Heritage Areas in Hobsons Bay (2006) and Guidelines for Infill Development in Heritage Areas in Hobsons Bay (2006). Their style sheets cover four common Hobsons Bay styles: Victorian, Edwardian/Federation, Bungalow and Early Modern. Old English isn’t one of them, and the guidelines acknowledge that some significant buildings are unusual and won’t fit these styles. Here the general principles do more work than the style sheets:

• A rear addition that can’t be seen from the street is the preferred option. Side additions are strongly discouraged.
• Avoid changing the front of the house, or a significant roofline visible from the street, unless you are returning it to an earlier or original appearance.
• An addition should not dominate the house, and its roof should generally match the existing pitch and cladding.
• Materials and finishes for an addition should reflect the existing building, though they don’t always need to copy it. New work should be distinguishable from old.
• Visibility is tested with sight lines from eye level, 1.7 metres above the ground on the opposite side of the street, over your existing roof. The guidelines set no specific height for additions.

Fences, garages and the details

• External paint controls apply. The 2006 guidelines ask that colour schemes relate to the period and style of the house, and that previously unpainted surfaces stay unpainted. If you’re unsure of a colour scheme, they suggest talking to council’s Heritage Advisor.
• Before repairing render, find out what is behind it. The citation records the houses as built with straw insulation and render facing, and that construction is part of the significance.
• The guidelines rule out sandblasting as a way to remove paint. Use a non-abrasive method carried out by experienced contractors.
• Reinstate a missing element only if there is enough evidence to do it accurately.
• Garages and carports in the front setback are not favoured. At the side, set them at least 2 metres behind the front façade. Double garages are not favoured.
• No new front fence should exceed 1300 mm, and a new fence should follow the street’s heights and materials.

What gets approved here

This section will carry the local permit record — application volumes, approval rates, what refused applications were attempting, and any VCAT decisions. That analysis is in progress and will be published with its method and limits stated.

What to do next

Ask council for pre-application advice. A free call with a planner, before anything is drawn — the most useful hour in the process.

Then check your address to confirm which precinct you are actually in. A Clarity Consultation is a focused session on your specific house; Confidence to Buy applies the same thinking before you bid.

Browse every Hobsons Bay heritage precinct.

Sources: control table and precinct extent transcribed from the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme, Schedule to Clause 43.01 (C133hbay, gazetted 11/02/2026), read 27 October 2026. Significance and description from the Hobsons Bay Heritage Study 2006 citation for the Solomit or Straw House Heritage Precinct (Victorian Heritage Database place 22460). Design guidance from Hobsons Bay City Council’s Guidelines for Alterations and Additions to Dwellings in Heritage Areas in Hobsons Bay (2006) and Guidelines for Infill Development in Heritage Areas in Hobsons Bay (2006). This is a plain-English summary written by a registered architect. It is not planning advice and the planning scheme governs.