VPRS 17899 Street Alignment Survey Field Books

Full description

This series consists of field books that record street alignment field surveys undertaken by the City Surveyor's Office (later known as the City Engineer's Office) of the Melbourne City Council (VA 511).

Street alignments are the lines between a street and an allotment. It is the line where a property ends and the public domain begins.

The original construction of buildings and fences in the first decades of Melbourne did not have defined boundaries or known widths. From approximately 1887, Council was involved in quoting alignment detail to solicitors and surveyors regarding applications to the Titles Office and to architects and builders before the construction of new buildings.

From approximately 1910 surveys were carried under the direction of the City Surveyor for the placing of bluestone kerbs and the referencing of alignments from the them. This was to preserve the gazetted widths of the footways and roadways constructed by Council. The alignments also provided reference lines in laneways for the location of services. The Council's intention in determining and maintaining the alignments was to document the extents of the public highways and to reduce the likelihood of building encroachments occurring onto them.

In 1915 the Building Branch of the Council began examining the plans of all building applications. From 1918 until 1986, alignment surveys were undertaken by the Surveyor's Office (later known as the City Engineer's Office) for virtually all building and fencing applications prior to any approvals being issued. This was to ensure that building encroachments did not occur over the road alignments. Alignment surveys involved the investigation of records holdings of the Council, Titles Office and other authorities. Survey fieldwork was also usually performed and this work was recorded in this series of Street Alignment Survey Field Books.

By 1986 the Council reduced the survey fieldwork they undertook and were mainly providing alignment quotes (VPRS 17900). These are sketch plans that were provided to consultant developers and builders to show the relationship between the road alignment and existing occupation. The relationships of the survey reference marks (usually galvanised nails or copper rivets) which were placed opposite the proposed works were also quoted to the builders.

By 1993, the Council were only providing alignment quotes for building works within the Hoddle Grid and by circa 2000 they ceased providing this service altogether with alignment surveys being undertaken by consulting surveyors instead.

There are branches of laneways that have not had road alignments established at all. Not all alignments that apply to lanes and streets within Melbourne City Council are formally registered at the Titles Office. The Titles Office practice however has been to accept Council's alignments providing significant discrepancies do not occur against the title.