1146 Frankston Flinders Road, Somerville, VIC

This house has been in Somerville for a long time. It's blue gable roof and bright white wooden weatherboards have been a mainstay of the old style architecture. The front yard was full of flowers and fruit trees, that would be of interest to heritage fruit tree collectors. I remember the lady who lived here when I was very young and riding my bike to primary school. Many days she would stand at the front gate and watch to make sure we were all OK. It was always a lovely house, but if people are going to just buy these properties with no intention of preserving the local heritage, then we as residents will need to organise to stop this type of thing. Why is it getting knocked down and replaced with units? You're planning decisions are turning Somerville into just another suburb, and its losing the qualities that attracted people to it in the first place.

This house is over 100 years old, why it is not heritage listed is beyond me and a case of gross neglect. Everyone who has grown up in Somerville during the past 100 years has loved this house, which is evident whenever the Somerville, Tyabb and District Heritage Society posts something about it on Facebook. There is always an out pouring of love and concern for it’s up keep and stories of parents and grandparents visiting and loving this house.
To have this house demolished would be like demolishing the soul of the town. It should be heritage listed and restored, not removed and replaced by generic soulless units. There is already plenty of them around.

If you tear down this house you are tearing down Somerville history for no better reason than some extra units. We don't need them that badly. That house is beautiful.

I would like this planning proposal to be reconsidered. The house is a historical icon in the area and as a direct descendant of the Wells family (the first family that settled on the Mornington Peninsula) I would be extremely upset for another part of the areas history to be removed for another unit block. The cultural identity of Somerville is rapidly in decline due to the oversupply of units and townhouses.

I’d hate for this to be knocked down such history!

Do not agree to this development. Sad to see a beautiful old place removed.

Tearing down This house would be a travesty both for Somerville's History but Victoria & Australia's as a whole, That the house has been allowed to fall into the condition it is a blatant case of demolition by default . You only have to look at the other restored houses in Somerville to see that it is possible for New buildings to built side by side with old on the same block , to put 4 units on the site is just a money hungry grab.
In Tyabb a lovely old house was saved & a new estate built around it. Why could this not happen here ???
Must we the residents of Somerville Lose our History just so even more Units are built , We in Australia lag behind the rest of the developed world in saving our old buildings in the name of progress & Money.
The owner should be made to restore the house & only be allowed to Build 2 Units at the back of the property

Firstly i don't think that area in Somerville needs more units when just next door 30 something townhouses are going in. This house is over 100 years old and needs to be heritage listed and restored.There will be nothing left in Somerville as everything is being knocked down due to money and greed. This needs to be thought through. There will be many angry people from the Somerville community if this happens

Somerville is rapidly losing its history. This house is one of the last few standing remnants of Somerville's past and should be preserved. Sadly as it is not heritage listed it has been allowed to run into disrepair to ease and justify the way for its demolition.
While I understand the need for development and the need for additional lower cost housing there is more suitable land that could be made available for development. The destruction of this historic home with the replacement being multiple units on a main road through the town will have the lasting effect of changing the image and feel of the town.
The semi rural feel of the town will be replaced with an over developed and cramped first image instead of the semi rural feel that the Mornington Shire insists it is fighting for in the area.

I have lived in Somerville for 25 years and have always loved the historic buildings and that country feel Somerville has.
I understand the house on this property is very run down but the last thing Somerville needs are more units/townhouses.
My children also attend wagtail cottage daycare at the neighbouring address. There is already a development in progress on one side of the daycare and is getting difficult to access the daycare.
If this unnecessary development goes ahead, please consider the safety of the staff, parents and children of the daycare.
But as I have mentioned above, it will be a disgrace to Somerville residents to see this development go ahead.
I plan to have my children grow up in the lovely Somerville that I grew up in, but if these type of plans keep going ahead, it will be a over populated town full of units and townhouses!

This house has historical significance to Somerville. It shouldn't be knocked down, it needs to be restored.

Once its gone, anothe piece of history is gone just so a profesional developer can make more money. The developer does not care, they live elsewhere. let him tear down the house nextdoor to where they live and put units there.... like hell they would.

This house is such a beautiful and historic building,how can you even think about letting it be demolished to build more units. One day when we are sitting here surrounded by nothing but generic box shaped buildings we will regret allowing these old buildings to be flattened without a second thought.
There are more important things than financial gain.

I don't live in Somerville but I drive past this wonderful historic home every week for work and marvel at how beautiful it is. All it needs is a bit of TLC, heck I would volunteer to paint it for free as I'm a qualified painter and decorator.
I see visions of it being restored to it's original beauty and perhaps a community hub of sorts. If it were to be demolished for units to be built that would be absolutely heartbreaking. Save Somerville History !!!

Please do not allow this once beautiful house be demolished. It is a very important part of the history of Somerville and to lose it would be awful and once it is gone, it is gone! The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council have the chance to preserve this piece of history. Developers just see profit ahead of history and to allow this to happen breaks my heart. We do not need more and more units and townhouses in our lovely town.

Can’t believe this house is going to be demolished??? I am not a local but have driven past it on numerous occasions.
It’s should be heritage listed. Disgraceful. Can this be stopped?

It`s so sad we have a council who only cares about themselves and $$$$.
This house has so much history and now being 130 years old and in it`s last death throws before demolition.
We`ll remember what council members are in currently and I`ll post their names when the next election comes up so people remember who they are.
We voted them in and we can vote them out.

It’s the tower house it’s iconic and must stay

This building could be a centre point for Somerville, something the town lacks because of bad planning decisions in the past, there is no heart of the town, The Tower House could form the base of a new town green using council land around the station and linking this with the historic home. So much inappropriate development has gone on in recent years with so many houses being built on small blocks I feel it is time the council gave back to Somerville, giving us a village green we can be proud of, revitalising the sad areas around the station, this would give people an area to gather for events or just to sit but this home should be part of it, we need to have pride in our past, it could become the hub of the town, information centre or education hub, please do not destroy our heritage for monetary gain.