Appendix 6 Amendment C107 Mobil Altona Refinery Proposed

Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda
Amendment C107 – Mobil Altona Refinery – Proposed Removal of Heritage Overlay
Amendment C107 Altona Refinery
351-381 Millers Road, Altona
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Executive Summary The Amendment applies to land recognised as the Mobil Refinery in Altona (the site) at 351-381 Millers Road in Altona North. The amendment applies only to part of the land situated north of Kororoit Creek Road, bounded by Millers Road to the west, Kororoit Creek Road to the south and the rail line to the north and east (the site).
The site is currently zoned Special Use 2 (SUZ2) and is affected by Heritage Overlay 202 (HO202), the Industrial Heritage Places Policy and the Industry Policy in the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme.
The heritage overlay currently triggers the requirement for a planning permit for all buildings and works, including demolition, new buildings and routine maintenance and repairs. When the heritage overlay was first applied to the site in 2003, the intent was to prepare an ‘incorporated document’ to identify the circumstances that did not require a permit. To date, the incorporated has not been prepared.
Mobil have raised ongoing concerns about the effect that the heritage overlay has on triggering permit applications for works that would not require a permit under the Special Use 2 Zone. Mobil have requested Amendment C107 to the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme to remove the Heritage Overlay from the Altona Refinery
Mobil have submitted the Altona Refinery Conservation Management Plan (CMP) in support of their application. The CMP concludes that it is the ongoing use of the refinery that is the most important conservation objective, rather than the retention of individual elements of heritage fabric. It highlights that the removal of elements of heritage fabric is appropriate and necessary to support the ongoing use of the refinery.
It is recommended that the conclusion of the CMP be supported, however it should be supported through the removal of the heritage overlay rather than an incorporated plan. Indeed, Council’s own Industrial Heritage Places Policy is based on the same ‘conservation by use’ principle and the assessment of planning permit applications using the current planning framework has repeatedly shown that the removal of heritage fabric in the Altona Refinery is considered necessary and appropriate to facilitate the historical use of the site, ensure its future viability and to achieve a balance between economic and conservation objectives.
The Amendment also corrects a minor error to the Schedule to the Special Use Zone.
The proposal has been assessed against the strategic assessment guidelines outlined in Ministerial Direction 11. The heritage overlay and an incorporated plan are no longer required to achieve conservation objectives at the Altona Refinery. In conclusion, it is recommended that Hobsons Bay City Council seek authorisation from the Minister to prepare and exhibit Planning Scheme Amendment C107 to the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme to remove the Heritage Overlay form the land.
EXISTING LAND USE .................................................................................................................................. 4
Existing Planning Controls ....................................................................... 6
PARTICULAR PROVISIONS ......................................................................................................................... 9
LOCAL POLICY .......................................................................................................................................... 12
Industry Policy Clause 22.02 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme ................................................ 12
Industrial Heritage Places Policy Clause 22.0111 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme ............... 12
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS ....................................................................................................................... 14
Industrial Land Management Strategy June 2008 (ILMS) ................................................................... 16
The Industrial Development Design Guidelines 2008 ......................................................................... 16
Background .............................................................................................. 17
PLANNING PERMITS ................................................................................................................................ 18
Photo 2 – Thermofor Catalytic Cracker – to be demolished 2016 ...................................................... 20
Photo 3 – Administration Building – demolished 2014 ...................................................................... 20
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN ................................................................................................... 21
Analysis .................................................................................................... 23
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The Subject Site and Surrounds 1. Amendment C107 applies to land recognised as the Mobil Refinery in Altona. The
amendment applies only to part of the land situated north of Kororoit Creek Road, bounded by Millers Road to the west, Kororoit Creek Road to the south and the rail line to the north and east.
2. The site address is 351-381 Millers Road, Altona. The land is legally described as Lot 5 TP850733, Lot 1 TP534082 and the eastern portion of Lot 9 TP850733.
3. The site has an approximate width of 413m and depth of 462m, with an approximate area of 19ha. The site has a relatively flat topography.
4. The site fronts two main arterial roads, Millers Road and Kororoit Road.
5. The Refinery’s main operations are focused on the site. Mobil has broader land holdings in the area, directly adjacent to the site. The adjacent properties to the east and to the northeast comprise of a fuel storage tank farm, industrial and fuel processing buildings and ancillary piping/transmission lines. The property to the north is a service station, a staff car park and vacant land with vehicle access achieved from both Kororoit Creek Road and Millers Road.
6. The location and boundaries of the site are shown on Map 1 on page 5.
EXISTING LAND USE
7. The site was originally used for the production of lubricants and bitumen from 1949 and then became one of the key petroleum fuel plant (refinery) in Australia in 1954.
8. The site is owned and operated by the Mobil Refining Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil who is the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company.
9. The refinery is an industry of State significance located in a core industrial precinct of Hobsons Bay. The Refinery supplies half of Victoria's fuel needs, playing a very important role in Victoria’s fuel supply chain and transport system. It produces around 12 million litres of refined products per day (enough to fuel 300,000 cars).
10. The refinery operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year processing crude oil into the full range of petroleum products, including unleaded petrol (60 per cent), diesel (30 per cent) and jet fuel (per cent).
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11. The refining process involves imported crude oil arriving via tanker at Gellibrand wharf in Williamstown and then being transported to the refinery via pipeline or tanker or Victorian crude oil being transported by pipeline from the Gippsland/Bass Strait oil and gas fields. At the refinery, the crude oil goes through various processes and then the refined products are pumped into storage tanks to await distribution. There are almost 100 storage tanks at the Altona Refinery.
12. Around 90 per cent of products are then transported by pipeline from the refinery to Mobil Yarraville terminal and other oil company terminals for distribution by road throughout Victoria and into parts of South Australia and New South Wales. Jet fuel is transported directly from the refinery to Somerton, where it is then provided to Melbourne Airport. The refinery supplies LPG as feedstock to the nearby Altona chemical complex, which in turn supplies feedstocks to other petrochemical manufacturing plants at Altona. These plants produce the raw materials from which a multitude of consumer products are made including adhesives, plastics, film, wire insulation, car batteries and tyres.
13. The refinery has invested $300 million in maintenance/improvements since 2008 and is planning to invest another $90 million in the facilities in the next three years.
14. The Altona refinery current employs more than 350 people, with around forty per cent living in nearby suburbs.
15. Mobil provides funding support to local schools, hospitals, environmental projects and community organisations.
16. The Altona Refinery Community Liaison Committee, including representatives of Hobsons Bay City Council, local residents and refinery management, meets four times a year and meetings are open to all interested people in the local area. A newsletter is distributed to over 20,000 households to coincide with the meetings. At the meetings, Mobil reports on the refinery’s operations and environmental and safety performance and provides updates on progress achieved to meet targets and initiatives.
Existing Planning Controls ZONING
17. The site is zoned Special Use Zone Schedule 2 Petroleum Refining Area (SUZ2) in the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme, as shown in Map 2 on page 7.
Map 2 – Zoning Map
18. The provisions for the Special Use 2 Zone are contained in Clause 37.01-2 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme.
19. The purpose of the Special Use 2 Zone is:
to provide for the operation and modernisation of the petroleum refining industry in a manner that does not affect the safety and amenity of nearby residential areas
to provide for the orderly and proper development of the area and for adequate landscaping to reduce the visual impact of the refinery
20. The only permitted major land uses on this land are a petroleum refinery, car park and service station. All other land uses are prohibited.
21. For the purposes of the Special Use 2 Zone, a petroleum refinery is defined as an industry using plant, equipment and facilities for the conversion of crude oil and other feed stocks into finished or intermediate petroleum products and by-products. This includes facilities for the receipt of crude oil and other feed stocks, facilities for the storage of crude oils, intermediate and finished products and by-products, pumping, pipeline and distribution facilities, units for the removal and control of impurities and by-products, waste treatment facilities, utilities including steam raising and electrical generating equipment, control
rooms, laboratories, research facilities, administration, warehousing, maintenance, training and amenity buildings and facilities and other associated works.
22. The use of the land for a petroleum refinery is exempt from the standard and reduced parking requirements of Clause 52.06 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme if parking is provided on the site to the satisfaction of the responsible authority.
23. A permit is required to construct a building or construct or carry out works. This does not apply to a building or works which:
provide or alter plumbing and electrical services involve the minor rearrangement of car parking areas and landscaping provided that
these areas are not diminished rearrange, alter or renew plant if the areas of plant external to existing buildings is not
increased are a temporary shed or structure, not exceeding 100 square metres in floor area,
which is outside driveway, car parking, loading or landscaping areas any works carried out by a public authority or a municipal council in association with
the development of new plant or buildings comply with a direction or licence under the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 or a Waste
Discharge Licence, Works Approval or Pollution Abatement Notice under the Environment Protection Act 1970
24. Before deciding on an application to construct a building or construct or carry out works, the responsible authority must consider a range of matters including:
the State Planning Policy Framework and the Local Planning Policy Framework, including the Municipal Strategic Statement and local planning policies
views of the Environment Protection Authority, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Minister administering the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 and the relevant waterway management authority (about any works proposed in the flood plain of Kororoit Creek)
drainage of land adequacy of information supplied availability of services the layout of the site and design of buildings including methods of minimising the visual
impact of the refinery on nearby residential areas, Kororoit Creek Road, Millers Road, Kororoit Creek, Altona Coastal Park and Cherry Lake
the layout of the site and design of buildings including the relationship of the buildings and works to the street and adjoining properties and the set backs from Millers Road and Kororoit Creek Road
PARTICULAR PROVISIONS
25. Other permit exemptions, potentially relevant to the Altona Refinery are listed in Clause 62.02 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme and include:
buildings or works, which provide for fire protection under relevant legislation gardening buildings or works which are a modification necessary to comply with a direction
under the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 or a Waste Discharge Licence, Works Approval or Pollution Abatement Notice under the Environment Protection Act 1970
buildings and works associated with a telecommunications facility if the requirements of Clause 52.19 are met
a temporary shed or temporary structure for construction purposes, or a temporary portable land sales office located on the land for sale
oil pipelines repairs and routine maintenance to an existing building or works removal, destruction or lopping of trees and the removal of vegetation demolition or removal of a building or works unless a permit is specifically required for
demolition or removal
26. Advertising signs within the Special Use 2 Zone are Category 2. Advertising sign provisions are at clause 52.05 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme. Category 2 provides for adequate identification signs and signs that are appropriate to office and industrial areas, with a limited level of advertising control. A planning permit is not required for a business identification sign or pole sign provided that the total advertisement area of all signs to each premises does not exceed 8 square metres (sqm) (excluding a direction sign). A permit is also not required for a direction sign and an internally illuminated sign, provided the advertisement area must does not exceed 1.5 sqm and the sign is more than 30 metres from a residential zone or pedestrian or traffic lights. All other signs require a planning permit. No signs are prohibited.
OVERLAYS
27. The purpose of the Heritage Overlay is:
to conserve and enhance heritage places of natural or cultural significance to conserve and enhance those elements which contribute to the significance of
heritage places to ensure that development does not adversely affect the significance of heritage
places
28. The Heritage Overlay overrides any exemptions in the Special Use 2 Zone and triggers the requirement for a planning permit to undertake most development activities, including:
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subdivide land demolish or remove a building construct a building or construct or carry out works, including a fence, externally
altering a building by structural work, rendering, sandblasting or in any other way, constructing or displaying a sign, externally painting an unpainted surface, externally paint a building if the painting constitutes an advertisement, carry out works, repairs and routine maintenance which change the appearance of a heritage place or which are not undertaken to the same details, specifications and materials
29. Before deciding upon an application in the Heritage Overlay, Council must consider:
the State Planning Policy Framework and the Local Planning Policy Framework, including the Municipal Strategic Statement and local planning policies.
the significance of the heritage place and whether the proposal will adversely affect the natural or cultural significance of the place
any applicable statement of significance, heritage study and any applicable conservation policy
whether the location, bulk, form or appearance of the proposed building will adversely affect the significance of the heritage place
whether the location, bulk, form and appearance of the proposed building is in keeping with the character and appearance of adjacent buildings and the heritage place
whether the demolition, removal or external alteration will adversely affect the significance of the heritage place
whether the proposed works will adversely affect the significance, character or appearance of the heritage place
whether the proposed subdivision will adversely affect the significance of the heritage place
whether the proposed subdivision may result in development, which will adversely affect the significance, character or appearance of the heritage place
whether the proposed sign will adversely affect the significance, character or appearance of the heritage place
whether the lopping or development will adversely affect the health, appearance or significance of the tree
30. The site is covered by a Heritage Overlay as shown on the Planning Scheme Map No.9 as HO202. The extent of the Heritage Overlay is shown on map 3 on page 13. The provisions for the Heritage Overlay are contained in Clause 43.01 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme and the relevant schedule. The Altona Refinery is listed in the schedule to the Heritage Overlay as the Standard Vacuum Refining Company Complex (former). The schedule to the overlay provides further provisions for the overlay which may be applied to individual overlays. This overlay states:
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external paint controls internal alteration controls tree controls do not apply buildings or fences are not exempt under clause 43.01.3 prohibited uses may not be permitted the refinery is not included on the Victorian Heritage Register as being of state
significance or recorded as an Aboriginal heritage place there are currently no incorporated plans under Clause 43.01-2
Map 3 – Heritage Overlay (HO202)
Industry Policy - Clause 22.02 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme
31. This policy applies to all land in the Industrial 1 Zone, Industrial 3 Zone, Mixed Use Zone and Special Use Zone Schedules 2, 3, 4 and 5, including the subject site.
32. The policy basis notes that the extensive areas of industrial land in Hobsons Bay is of vital economic importance to the municipality and the State of Victoria and that Council has a responsibility to the State and the region to help ensure the continuing viability of major industries within its borders. Major industries are substantial employers and are vital elements in Victoria’s economic prosperity.
33. The policy notes that the use and development of this industrial land is also of great importance in determining the physical and environmental character of the municipality and that it is particularly important that large industries play a major role in ensuring that their locality is visually attractive.
34. It is policy to:
have regard to the Hobsons Bay Industrial Land Management Strategy June 2008 and the Hobsons Bay Industrial Development Design Guidelines June 2008 when considering any applications for subdivision, use and/or development in any of the zones to which this policy applies
require applications to be accompanied by an of the use of the site, including the likely type and frequency of heavy vehicles, the proposed routes to access the site and the anticipated level of car parking that will be generated by the use of the site
ensure that the orientation of the site, landscaping and layout of new development is designed to enhance the amenity of the area, reduce energy use and optimises natural ventilation, daylight and solar access
ensure landscaping is provided within frontage and side setbacks to the street, to outdoor car parking areas and where appropriate, along rear and side boundaries to the satisfaction of the responsible authority
encourage quality architectural design within new industrial developments to enhance the character and visual amenity of Hobsons Bay
Industrial Heritage Places Policy - Clause 22.01-11 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme
35. This policy applies to land zoned Industrial 1, Industrial 3 or Special Use that is included within the Heritage Overlay, including the subject site.
36. The policy notes that a dominant theme in the development of Hobsons Bay has been the growth of industry with some of Victoria’s most significant industrial heritage now found
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within the city. Industries associated with engineering and fuels including coal, gas, electricity and petroleum have been dominant in Hobsons Bay over a long period of time.
37. The policy notes that the conservation of industrial heritage places presents specific management issues, as it is often the use of the site that is of primary historical significance. While fabric such as buildings or plant contributes to the significance of industrial heritage places by illustrating development over time, the on-going replacement and upgrading of this fabric is often an integral part of the operation of the use. The policy highlights that ‘Conservation by use’ is an important heritage principle and on this basis, there may be circumstances where it may be appropriate to permit the removal or alteration of fabric if it will facilitate the historic use of a site and ensure its future viability.
38. The objectives of the Industrial Heritage Places Policy are:
to ensure the continued viability of industrial heritage places for the uses and processes historically carried out on the site as an essential part of their significance and conservation
to increase awareness about the importance of industrial heritage in the municipality. to ensure that heritage issues are given appropriate consideration at an early stage
when making decisions about the future use and development of industrial sites to retain the distinctive cultural heritage significance of industrial heritage places
which is derived from: o the traditional and on-going use of industrial heritage places over a long period o the important influence of the industrial heritage places on the economic and
social development of the city o the sheer size and extent of nineteenth century industries in Newport and
Spotswood, which demonstrates not only their local economic importance, but also their importance to the economy of Victoria
o the probable national significance of the Newport, Spotswood and North Altona region as one of the most historically important centres in relation to the development of the petroleum and petrochemical industries in Australia
o the surviving examples of early industrial building types, plant and equipment o the associated infrastructure such as railways, pipe-lines, roads and wharves that
are essential in understanding the complex historical interrelationships that occurred in the development of industries (particularly the petroleum and petrochemical industries) in the area
39. The Industrial Heritage Places Policy requires applications for development to have regard to:
the continued viability of the historic use of the site the balance between achievement of conservation objectives and economic viability, and
occupational health and safety
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the conservation of fabric of primary significance unless the fabric has been made redundant and is to be replaced by new buildings, plant or equipment
the retention of fabric of primary significance that is longer used in-situ if there is not an immediate need to remove or relocate it
keeping an appropriate record of any significant fabric that is removed or demolished and is made to the satisfaction of the Responsible Authority
40. It is policy that before deciding on an application the Responsible Authority consider, as appropriate:
whether the proposed buildings, works or demolition will support the viability of the historic industrial use carried out on the site
whether there is an opportunity for redundant equipment to remain in-situ as historic evidence or for interpretation
whether the proposed interpretation will provide adequate information about the historic use and development of the site.
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
41. The following documents are referred to in the Municipal Strategy Statement, Industry Policy and the Industrial Heritage Places Policy and their content is required to be considered in any application to develop land at the Altona Refinery:
Hobsons Bay Heritage Study Amended 2014
42. The Heritage Study documents the themes that have shaped the municipality over the last 165 years and identifies 33 precincts and 275 places of heritage significance in Hobsons Bay and provides the strategic basis for the application of statutory controls via the Heritage Overlay, heritage policies and guidelines to protect, conserve and management the municipality’s heritage assets.
43. The Heritage Study contains a citation for the Altona Refinery (described as the former Vaccuum Oil Company Complex). The Study identifies the Altona Refinery, comprising buildings and plant generally constructed between 1949 – 1960 at 351-381 Millers Road in Altona North, as having local historical, social, technical and aesthetic significance to the City of Hobsons Bay.
44. Historically, it is significant for its strong associations with the development of the oil industry in Australia as one of the oldest continuously operating oil refineries in the country. It is also significant as a major refinery and office complex that illustrates the immense industrial expansion of the City and Victoria in the post World War 2 period. The size of the complex had a significant impact on the economy of the State of Victoria and led to the establishment of a petro-chemical complex within this area with a number of
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associated firms such as Australian Carbon Black by the 1960s. The complex has associations with Standard-Vacuum Oil and later Mobil Oil who have played important roles in the development of the petrochemical industry in Victoria. Parts of the complex have associations with the important architectural firm of Stephenson & Turner.
45. Socially, it is significant for its strong associations with the local community as one of the first major industries in the Altona area and one of the largest employers over a long period. It is also significant for its associations with the development of the labour movement in Australia through the introduction of the concept of collective bargaining techniques, which were first used at this site.
46. Technically, it is significant for early plant and equipment such as the Thermofor Catalytic Cracking Plant, which is unique in the State.
47. Aesthetically, although altered, the c.1955 office block is significant as a good example of modernist design that illustrates the progressive nature of the Standard-Vacuum company and investment made in the establishment of the complex at the time.
48. The citation describes the complex as including the following buildings:
the refinery itself comprising various equipment, pipes, tanks and stacks, all set out on a rectilinear grid between the railway, Millers Road and Kororoit Creek Road. It includes the 248 feet high Thermofor Catalytic Cracking Plant (now decommissioned), which is thought to be the last vertical catalytic cracker in Australia
the auditorium, canteen and locker building, located at the north-east corner of Kororoit Creek Road and Millers Road, which has a flat roof, is clad with cream bricks and has aluminium framed windows with green glass panels. This is one of the buildings designed by Stephenson & Turner
the former office/laboratory building (now the medical centre), which is a concrete block with a hip roof building facing Millers Road
the former Administration buildings, designed by Stephenson & Turner, on the south west corner of the Millers-Kororoit Creek Roads intersection. This building was pictured in the guide to architecture in Victoria, which was produced by the RVIA for the 1956 Olympics. This building has since been changed by a general renovation in recent times
a tank farm on the south side of Kororoit Creek Road. The number of tanks has been greatly expanded since the 1940s
49. The Study found that the integrity of the plant is high to its 1940s-50s development stages and thus it is perhaps the most complete complex of its kind in the region from this key era.
Industrial Land Management Strategy June 2008 (ILMS)
50. The ILMS is referred to in the Municipal Strategic Statement and the Industry Policy at Clause 22.02 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme and are used to assess an application to development land at the Altona Refinery in the Special Use 2 Zone.
51. The ILMS classifies the Altona Refinery as a ‘core industrial area’. Core industrial areas are defined as major concentrations of industry, which are relatively unconstrained by residential or other sensitive uses. These areas will be protected and provide opportunities for new growth, including the expansion of existing industries. Non-industrial protrusions into these areas are not supported and rezoning of land to non-industrial zones will not be permitted.
52. The Altona Refinery is identified as precinct 10 in the ILMS. The strategic objectives for precinct 10 are to:
support the ongoing operation of the Core Petroleum Refining Industry in Altona. improve the quality of the precincts appearance, with good levels of peripheral
landscaping. maintain the open, natural habitat nature of the land at the southwest corner. improve the appearance of the gateway location. minimise the visual impact of the structures within the refinery reduce impacts on residential amenity and the environment encourage incremental improvements to the visual and natural environment in the
vicinity of the refinery. improve the landscaped buffer around the perimeter of the refinery maintain monochromatic painting of storage tanks
53. The desired outcome is described as a Core Industrial area housing Petroleum Refining activities, with improved interfaces to all abuttal’s, and reduced amenity and environmental impacts’.
The Industrial Development Design Guidelines 2008
54. The Industrial Development Design Guidelines (IDDG) are referred to in the Industry Policy at Clause 22.02 of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme and would be required to be used to assess an application for development of land at the Altona Refinery in the Special Use 2 Zone.
55. The objectives of the IDDG’s are:
to ensure that the strategies and objectives for industry in Hobsons Bay, expressed in the Guidelines, the Strategy, Municipal Strategic Statement and the local policies, are
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given effect in the determination of applications for industrial land uses and developments
to ensure that the objectives for each industrial precinct in the Strategy are given effect in the determination of applications for land uses and developments
to achieve high quality urban design and architecture that accords with Clause 19.03, (Design and Built Form) of the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme
to improve the appearance and amenity of industrial areas to enhance the liveability, amenity and safety of the City to promote environmentally sustainable design
56. The IDDG’s provide guidance on the following matters:
site layout and built form traffic and car parking site access loading and services areas road network landscaping storage container storage waste lighting fencing water sensitive urban design energy Efficient urban design sustainable building materials.
57. In relation to the Altona Refinery (Industrial Precinct 10), the guidelines recommend a building setback of 20m from Kororoit Creek Road and 9m from other roads and a landscaping setback of 30m from the railway line, 50m from adjoining industrial zones and 9m from all roads.
Background INTRODUCTION OF HERITAGE CONTROLS ON THE ALTONA REFINERY
58. The Altona Refinery was first identified as being of local heritage significance in 2001 in Stage 1 of the Hobsons Bay Heritage Study (referred to as the Altona, Laverton, & Newport Districts Heritage Study).
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59. The Study recommended that the Refinery’s heritage assets be given statutory protection through the application of the heritage overlay in the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme.
60. The Heritage overlay was first applied to the Altona Refinery site in 2003, through Amendment C17 to the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme. The heritage overlay applied in 2003 was known as HO149. The heritage overlay was renumbered to HO202, as part of Amendment C34 in 2006.
61. Mobil objected to the application of heritage controls through Amendment C17 during the exhibition period in 2002, raising concerns about the potential impact of the application of the heritage overlay on the on-going viability of the refinery.
62. An Independent Planning Panel considered Mobil’s objection to Amendment C17 in 2002. The Panel recommended that:
the extent of exhibited HO149 is supported the amendment be modified to include an Incorporated Document to limit the extent
of the discretionary powers created by clause 43.01 to the fabric of those buildings and those works whose local heritage fabric has been established by rigorous research. The Incorporated Document should be drawn narrowly in the first instance to ensure that the discretion is not applied to buildings and works that do not have a clearly established local heritage
the Statement of Significance should be amended to exclude reference to the office block across the intersection (not in the heritage overlay) and to emphasis the value of the ongoing operation of the refinery in support of the site’s heritage values
63. Council adopted Amendment C17 on March 2003 and resolved to prepare an Incorporated Document for the Altona Refinery, as recommended by the Panel at a later stage.
PLANNING PERMITS
64. Between 2003 and 2014, Mobil have obtained a planning permit from Council to demolish the following heritage fabric that was identified in the Hobsons Bay Heritage Study:
the auditorium and canteen (demolition completed) the thermofor catalytic cracker (demolition planned for 2016) administration building (demolition completed)
65. The heritage fabric that has been permitted to be removed to date has all been large highly visible buildings or plant. Although they contribute to the heritage value of the Refinery, the removal of these structures will ensure the ongoing viability of the historic use of the property, thereby preserving the heritage significance of the entire site.
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66. Photographs of the heritage fabric permitted to be removed since the introduction of the heritage overlay in 2003 are provided in page 22. A condition of all permits was the requirement to prepare a photographic archival record of the removed heritage fabric.
67. Mobil has raised ongoing concerns about the need to obtain permits to do essential works, due to the heritage overlay.
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Photographs of heritage fabric permitted to be removed since the introduction of heritage controls in 2003
Photo 1 – Canteen and Auditorium – demolished 2015
Photo 2 – Thermofor Catalytic Cracker – to be demolished 2016
Photo 3 – Administration Building – demolished 2014
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
68. In 2015, Mobil engaged Biosis Pty Ltd to prepare the Altona Refinery Conservation Management Plan (CMP). A copy of the CMP is provided in Appendix 1.
69. The CMP provides an assessment of the cultural heritage values on the Altona Refinery and recommendations for future management. It contains conservation policy to provide direction and guidelines for conservation and adaptation or redevelopment of the site and its component parts, in a manner that addresses the significant elements. This is in the context of an operating facility, which requires on-going modification and change to the physical fabric.
70. The CMP identifies the following 11 elements as being of primary significance:
administrative building switch and compressor house storage tanks distillery and bitumen plant lubricating oil warehouse drum filling building thermofor catalytic cracker (TCC) amenities (canteen and auditorium) no.3 changeroom warehouse / fire station cooling towers
71. The CMP identified the following six individual elements as being of contributory significance:
solulizer laboratory boiler house mechanical workshop horton spheres fluidised catalytic cracker
72. The location of individual significant elements are shown in the map within the CMP.
73. The CMP outlines how each of the significant elements are currently being used, their condition and planned use. In summary, much of the historical fabric is considered to be redundant, needs to be upgraded or removed, doesn’t have any prospects for adaptive reuse, has asbestos, not fit for use, or is taking up space that could be used for new plant.
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74. At this stage, Mobil has indicated that future demolition of the following elements of primary significance is considered likely:
distillery and bitumen plan no.1 and no.2 cooling towers some of the storage tanks administration building on Millers Road (refer to Photo 1 )
Photo 4 – Administrative Building Millers Road - front
Photo 5 – Administrative Building Millers Road - rear
75. The CMP sets the following conservation policies for the Altona Refinery:
setting and curtilage views, vistas and visual relationships new buildings and works landscaping
archival recording and documentation interpretation
76. The CMP states that the requirements for the preparation of archival records have been partly achieved through the preparation of the CMP. Mobil has advised that they will provide a photographic recording of all structures to the satisfaction of Council prior to the Amendment being submitted to the Minister for approval.
77. A draft incorporated plan for the Altona Refinery was prepared by Mobil for discussion with Council officers in 2015. The proposed Incorporated Plan would have allowed the alteration and removal of all heritage fabric, without a planning permit so long as Mobil prepared and submitted photographic records of the fabric that was to be removed. The proposed incorporated plan was effectively a back door demolition permit. This is not an appropriate way to use an Incorporated Plan and is contrary to the objective of the Heritage overlay. Council must ensure that the Victorian Planning Provisions are used appropriately.
Analysis 78. Even with the heritage overlay, Council’s Industrial Heritage Places and Economic
Development policies in the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme provide a framework that supports the demolish of heritage fabric at the Altona Refinery if considered under future planning permit applications.
79. It is policy to support the Altona Refinery as an industry of state significance in a core industrial area in Hobsons Bay. Council’s Industry Heritage Policy has a ‘conservation by use’ basis, as recommended in the CMP that recognises the need to achieve a balance between conservation objectives and economic viability and occupational health and safety.
80. Clarifying the policy that heritage fabric at the Refinery can be removed, means that statutory protection under the heritage overlay or through an Incorporated Plan are no longer required. The heritage overlay tool is used to limit change and removal of heritage fabric.
81. Exxon Mobil operates in a fast paced global economic market, competing with other larger refineries in the Asia-Pacific region. Its key strategy to staying competitive is through continuous improvements/upgrades to facilities and plant. Exxon Mobil have plans for improvements worth $80 million in the next three years.
82. Exxon Mobil have advised that the heritage overlay, triggering a permit for all buildings and works, in the context of their budgeting cycles, can reduce Mobil’s ability to compete for funding for these works, particularly in terms of being ‘project ready’.
83. The underlying Special Use 2 Zone still requires Mobil to obtain a permit to construct a building and carry out works, with some exceptions including:
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alterations to plumbing or electrical services minor rearrangement of car parking areas and landscaping rearrange, alter or renew plan if the areas of plant external to existing buildings is not
increased a temporary shed or structure not over 100sqm pipelines and works to comply with a direction or licence under certain OH&S
legislation
84. This still allows Council as the Responsible Authority to control the visual amenity of the Refinery to ensure it is consistent with the purpose of the Special Use 2 Zone, particularly in relation to the protection of the visual amenity of the area.
85. The CMP contains a thorough analysis of the history of the Altona refinery and additional photographs of heritage fabric.
86. Mobil have agreed to photograph all of the fabric within the refinery that has been identified as having heritage values before the completion of the Amendment process.
87. In addition, the changes to the buildings and works exemptions under Clause 4.0 in Schedule 2 to the Special Use Zone should by supported. This clause incorrectly references ‘other exemptions are listed in Clause 62.01’. This clause relates to uses not requiring a permit rather than buildings and works not requiring a permit. Reference to this clause has been deleted from the schedule as clause 62.01 applied irrespectively.
Conclusion 88. The conservation of the refinery can be achieved without the need for statutory protection
by way of the heritage overlay or an incorporated plan. Council’s Industry Heritage Policy has a ‘conservation by use’ basis, as recommended in the CMP that recognises the need to achieve a balance between conservation objectives and economic viability and occupational health and safety. Although the CMP recommends an Incorporated Plan as the mechanism to implement the CMP, a more appropriate method of conservation by use is to remove the heritage overlay from the site to allow the Refinery to operate free from heritage requirements. An appropriate archival photographic record of the heritage fabric will be completed prior to the amendment being sent to the Minister for Planning for approval.
© Biosis 2012 – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting www.biosis.com.au
Altona Refinery Conservation Management Plan
Prepared for Exxon Mobil
Biosis Pty Ltd
This document is and shall remain the property of Biosis Pty Ltd. The document may only be used
for the purposes for which it was commissioned and in accordance with the Terms of the
Engagement for the commission. Unauthorised use of this document in any form whatsoever is
prohibited.
Disclaimer:
Biosis Pty Ltd has completed this assessment in accordance with the relevant federal, state and
local legislation and current industry best practice. The company accepts no liability for any
damages or loss incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the report content or for any purpose
other than that for which it was intended.
Biosis offices
Mitchell ACT 2911
Alexandria NSW 2015
Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Phone: (07) 3831 7400
Fax: (07) 3831 7411
for Exxon Mobil
Version 01 MT 7/1/2015
Version 02 GV 16/2/2015
Version 03 GV 28/8/2015
Katie Murphy - Tract Consultants Pty Ltd
Kendal Houghton – Biosis Pty Ltd
Liza McColl – Hobsons Bay City
Summary
This report documents an assessment of the cultural heritage values of the Altona Petroleum Refinery, which
was established by Standard Vacuum Oil Company in the years immediately after World War II. Initially
constructed as part of a move to make Australia more self-sufficient in petroleum production, the refinery
went on to play a major role in the expansion of motoring and oil production. The first plant was primarily for
bitumen and lubricating oil, but in the 1950s petroleum production was greatly expanded with the
construction of the Thermofor Catalytic Cracker (TCC). Subsequent expansions have seen adaptation to
different crude sources such as Gippsland Crude, a wider variety of product such as LPG, and supply of
product to the Altona Petrochemical Complex. The refinery underwent a major expansion in the 1990s with
the replacement of the TCC with the Fluidised Catalytic Cracker (FCC).
The purpose of the present study is therefore to document the history of the site, provide a physical
description and statement of significance, and make recommendations for future management.
The conservation policy has been developed on the basis of the assessment of the cultural heritage
significance of the Altona Refinery. The purpose of the conservation policy is to provide direction and
guidelines for conservation and adaptation or redevelopment of the site and its component parts, in a
manner that addresses the significant elements. This is in the context of an operating facility which requires
on-going modification and change to the physical fabric. Accordingly, the directions and guidelines included
here should be considered in determining future strategies and outcomes for the Altona Refinery.
© Biosis 2012 – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting ii
Table of Contents
1.4 Consultation .................................................................................................................................................................. 6
1.5 Methodology ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
2 Historic Background ................................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Oil and Petrol in Australia ........................................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Vacuum Oil Company ............................................................................................................................................... 10
2.4 Vacuum Oil in Yarraville ........................................................................................................................................... 11
2.5 Establishment of Altona Refinery (1946-49) ........................................................................................................ 15
2.6 Expansion and renewal (1950s) ............................................................................................................................. 19
2.7 Expansion (1960s-90s) .............................................................................................................................................. 29
2.8 Recent Developments .............................................................................................................................................. 31
3.1 Landscape context .................................................................................................................................................... 35
3.2.1 Administrative Building later Health Centre. ........................................................................................... 35
3.2.2 Switch House .................................................................................................................................................. 37
3.2.4 Lubricating oil warehouse ........................................................................................................................... 41
3.2.5 Drum filling building ...................................................................................................................................... 42
3.2.6 Demolished structures ................................................................................................................................. 43
3.3.1 Amenities buildings ....................................................................................................................................... 44
3.3.2 Boiler house .................................................................................................................................................... 45
3.3.4 Mechanical workshop ................................................................................................................................... 46
3.3.6 Laboratory ....................................................................................................................................................... 47
3.3.7 Solutizer ........................................................................................................................................................... 48
3.3.10 Other building and plant .............................................................................................................................. 51
3.4 1960s and later additions ........................................................................................................................................ 51
3.4.1 Fluidised Catalytic Cracker ........................................................................................................................... 52
4 Comparative Assessment ........................................................................................................................ 53
5.2 Assessment against criteria .................................................................................................................................... 61
5.3 Significant Elements .................................................................................................................................................. 63
6.2 Terminology and Methods ...................................................................................................................................... 66
6.3 Statutory Requirements ........................................................................................................................................... 67
6.4.1 Need for the works ........................................................................................................................................ 67
6.4.2 Management .................................................................................................................................................. 68
6.4.4 Future operation of the refinery ................................................................................................................ 70
6.5 Conservation Policies ................................................................................................................................................ 71
6.5.1 Conservation Works ...................................................................................................................................... 72
6.5.2 Repairs & Maintenance ................................................................................................................................ 72
6.5.7 New Buildings & Works ................................................................................................................................ 73
6.5.8 Landscaping .................................................................................................................................................... 73
6.5.10 Interpretation ................................................................................................................................................. 74
6.5.13 Implementation and Review of the Conservation Policy ...................................................................... 75
7 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................... 76
Appendix A Hobsons Bay Council Letter from Council 15.07.14 Alternative mechanisms to permits .............. 78
Appendix B Draft Letter from Council 10 August 2014 Planning scheme Amendment ........................................ 1
Appendix C: Burra Charter .................................................................................................................................................. 10
© Biosis 2012 – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting iv
Figures
Figure 2: Site plan, Altona Refinery Source: Courtesy Mobil.................................................................................................................. 3
Figure 3: Plan of extent of existing Heritage Overlay control ................................................................................................................ 5
Figure 4: Drivers, Vacuum Oil Company Depot, Yarraville .................................................................................................................. 10
Figure 5: Model of New Works for Vacuum Oil Company, The Argus 8 Jul 1925 ........................................................................... 13
Figure 6: Construction of Vacuum Company Oil depot, Yarraville, Victoria ca. 1929. This later view is probably for an
additional storage tank. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Figure 7: Various logos used by Standard Vacuum and its successors ........................................................................................... 15
Figure 8: Model of the completed Refinery in 1950. ............................................................................................................................ 16
Figure 9: Aerial view of refinery 1952 ...................................................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 10: Tank Farm, store and lube oil building under construction. ........................................................................................... 17
Figure 11: Distillation tower from the slop tanks nearing completion. ............................................................................................ 17
Figure 12: Left to right – boiler house, transformer and switch house, amenities in front, office behind, and stores buildings
(COR refinery in distance) 17 Feb 1949. .................................................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 13: Operational flow diagram for original plant processes .................................................................................................... 18
Figure 14: Construction of the TCC 1954, photo Sievers, Wolfgang National Library, nla.pic-vn3419110 ............................... 20
Figure 15: Process diagram with new TCC and final products ........................................................................................................... 21
Figure 16: Model of proposed Altona Refinery expansion (Exxon Mobil Archives) ....................................................................... 22
Figure 17: Aerial View of Altona Refinery Feb 1953, showing preparations for construction of TCC and new tanks ............ 23
Figure 18: Plan of newly expanded refinery showing original and new structures. ..................................................................... 23
Figure 19: Standard Vacuum Oil Refining Company Ltd, Refinery, Altona, Victoria. Aerial View of General Development,
1952 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 24
Figure 20: Brief article on new office building by Stephenson & Turner. ........................................................................................ 25
Figure 21: Plaque unveiled 4 April 1955 opening ceremony, and the dignitaries touring the plant ......................................... 25
Figure 22: Altona Refinery 1955, by Charles William Bud (1919-1989) ............................................................................................ 26
Figure 23: Construction of cooling tower 1954, Sievers, Wolfgang, National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an24882807 ....... 27
Figure 24: View of Mobil Altona Refinery showing Horton Spheres and TCC, 1956 Sievers, Wolfgang, National Library of
Australia, nla.pic-an24876126 ................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Figure 25: Refinery by night 1956 1954, Photo Sievers, Wolfgang, National Library of Australianla.pic-an24883930 ......... 28
Figure 26: Staff of the Altona refinery, Victoria in 1954. Photo Sievers, Wolfgang, National Library .nla.pic-an24876601 ... 28
Figure 27: Refinery from the Air in the 1950s – TCC operating and first of the cooling towers in place .................................. 29
Figure 28: Altona Refinery in the 1960s (Wolfgang Sievers photo State Library Victoria) ............................................................ 30
Figure 29: Automated control room in the 1960s (Wolfgang Sievers Photo, State Library Victoria) ......................................... 31
Figure 30: Fluid Catalytic Cracker being transported through the Western Suburbs to the refinery site ................................ 32
Figure 31: Gatehouse (demolished) with former Administration building behind 6 Dec 1949 (Exxon Mobil Archives) ....... 36
Figure 32: Administrative Building under construction 9 Dec. 1948. (Exxon Mobil Archives Photo Album 35/23) ................ 36
Figure 33: Administration building from the south east. .................................................................................................................... 37
Figure 34: Administration building from Millers Road ......................................................................................................................... 37
Figure 35: Switch and compressor house with (demolished) boiler house behind 18/1/1948 (Exxon Mobil Archives album
39/44) .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 38
Figure 36: Compressor and Switch gear building, 2015 ...................................................................................................................... 38
Figure 37: Pipe Still 27/7/1949 (Exxon Mobil Archives Albums 46/6) ................................................................................................ 39
Figure 38: Vacuum distillation tower under construction 27/7/1949 (Exxon Mobil Archives Albums 46/26) ......................... 39
Figure 39: Location of No 1 Crude unit reused for later plant, 2014 ................................................................................................ 40
Figure 40: Storage Tanks and pipe gantry from original Bitumen plant, 2014 ............................................................................... 40
Figure 41: Bitumen tanks and rail loading gantries from the north, 2015 ...................................................................................... 41
Figure 42: Lube. Oil building under construction 27/7/1949 (Exxon Mobil Archives Albums 46[28) ........................................ 41
© Biosis 2012 – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting v
Figure 43: Lube Oil Warehouse from the Millers Road bridge, 2014................................................................................................ 42
Figure 44: Bitumen Drum filling building with rail loading at top, 2014 .......................................................................................... 42
Figure 45: Lube oil packing building, 2014 ............................................................................................................................................. 43
Figure 46: Wagon Loading/Tanker filling station (demolished) 15 Dec 1949 (Exxon Mobil Archives, album No22) .............. 43
Figure 47: Amenities building – auditorium and canteen from the south west, 2015 ................................................................. 44
Figure 48: Canteen interior looking east, 2014 ...................................................................................................................................... 44
Figure 49: Auditorium interior facing south east, 2014 ....................................................................................................................... 45
Figure 50: 1950s Boilerhouse and water tank on left, 1948 Switch house centre, 1950s laboratory on right. ....................... 45
Figure 51: TCC in the 1960s (Exxon Mobil Archives) ............................................................................................................................. 46
Figure 52: Mechanical Workshop in 2014 showing recladding.......................................................................................................... 46
Figure 55: Remaining Solutizer plant looking west, 2014 .................................................................................................................... 48
Figure 56: Amenities building (Area 3 change room) adjacent to solutizer, 2015 ......................................................................... 48
Figure 57: Cooling Tower No 2. ................................................................................................................................................................. 49
Figure 58: Three Horton Spheres for storage of LPG, 2014................................................................................................................ 50
Figure 59: Group of air force personnel 8 December 1955 in front of Horton Spheres - identified as Standard-Vacuum
Refining Company Pty Ltd, Essendon, but probably Altona (Museum Victoria Reg. No: MM 51251) ....................................... 50
Figure 60: Fluidised Catalytic Cracker ...................................................................................................................................................... 52
Figure 61: Yarraville Terminal (Bing bird's eye images), 2012 ............................................................................................................ 54
Figure 62: Lubricant blending tower and offices at BP Newport terminal, 2012 ........................................................................... 55
Figure 63: Storage and works sheds at Shell Newport Terminal, 2012 ........................................................................................... 55
Figure 64: Pump house at BP Newport terminal, 2010 ....................................................................................................................... 56
Figure 65: Brick stores building Esso oil depot, Simcock Ave Spotswood, 2010 (demolished c2014) ....................................... 56
Figure 66: Concrete building Caltex Newport Terminal, 2010 ........................................................................................................... 56
Figure 67: Shell terminal Newport (photo Sievers, SLV H2004.49/83) (demolished) c1980 ........................................................ 57
Figure 68: Former commonwealth Oil Refinery office building Altona North, 2008 ..................................................................... 57
Figure 69: Altona Petrochemical Complex, (Technology in Australia 1977-1988).......................................................................... 58
Figure 70: Longford Gas Plant ................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Figure 71: Catalytic Cracker at Shell Refinery Geelong during construction (State Library Victoria) ......................................... 59
Figure 72: Locations of significant elements and management actions ......................................................................................... 65
Figure 73: Altona Refinery view from Kororoit Creek Road, Jessie Deane, 2013. .......................................................................... 70
Figure 74: Example of industrial land reuse - Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord. ........................................................................... 71
Tables
Table 3: Management of primary significant buildings and structures ........................................................................................... 68
© Biosis 2012 – Leaders in Ecology and Heritage Consulting 1
1 Introduction
1.1 Background
Exxon Mobil has commissioned Biosis Pty Ltd to undertake a heritage assessment and prepare a
Conservation Management Plan for the Altona Refinery, with the objective of assisting management of
statutory approvals for future works which may impact heritage values of the site.
The Conservation Management Plan describes the heritage values and physical condition of the place, and
sets out a conservation policy for managing impacts and change.
1.2 Study Area
The Study Area encompasses the Mobil Altona Refinery to the extent of the land covered by Heritage Overlay
(HO202). This large site, located within the Special Use Zone – Schedule 2 (SUZ2), extends north east from the
intersection of Millers and Kororoit Creek Roads in Altona and was developed in a number of stages,
commencing in 1946 in the western part of the current site. The refinery proper is bounded by Millers Road to
the west, Kororoit Creek Road to the south, the Werribee railway line to the north and Altona railway line to
the east.
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Acknowledgement:VicMap Data Copyright © The State of Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries 2014
Matter: 18706, Date: 08 January 2015, Checked by: GV, Drawn by: SKM, Last edited by: smitchell Location:P:\18700s\18706\Mapping\18706_F1_Locality.mxd
Legend Study Area
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Metres ±Biosis Pty LtdBallarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Wangaratta & Wollongong
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1.3 Heritage Listing and Legislative Obligations
The Altona Refinery complex was first recognised as a site with heritage significance (under the then name of
Petroleum Refineries Australia (PRA) Altona) along with a number of other early twentieth century sites
relating to the oil industry in Melbourne’s inner western suburbs, in the Western Region Industrial Heritage
Study undertaken in 1988-9.1 The refinery was not assessed in detail in this study but was included in
Appendix E, Locational Index to Sites, in which it was given a Level D significance ranking, which was
considered in this study to be of local significance.
The refinery was listed in Stage 1 of the Altona, Laverton & Newport Districts Heritage Study (2001) which
provided a review for the newly amalgamated Hobsons Bay council area.2 It was further investigated as part
of Stage 2 of the study. As a result of this investigation, the following statement of significance was prepared:
Mobil Refining Australia offices and refinery complex, former Standard Vacuum petroleum is significant to the
Western Region:
as a major refinery and office complex within the industrial history of the City and part of the State’s
post WW2 industrial expansion (criterion A4);
for the recognition of the office block as a good example of design in the 1956 architecture guide
(criterion E1); and
for significant plant such as the Thermofor Cracking Plant which is unique in the State (criterion F1).
On the basis of this assessment, the refinery was recommended for heritage overlay protection pursuant to
the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme (initially as HO149). Interim heritage controls were implemented and the
proposed amendment was then considered by a Ministerial panel and advisory committee.
In 2002, a submission was made on behalf of the owners to the panel and advisory committee in reference to
the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme Amendment C17, on the proposed inclusion of Mobil’s Yarraville Terminal
& Altona Refinery in the schedule to the heritage overlay.3
The submission proposed a statement of significance as follows:
The former Standard-Vacuum Refining Company's (now Mobil) refinery at Altona as a whole is of historical, social
and technological/scientific significance, in the context of the twentieth century history and development of
Altona and Melbourne's western suburbs generally, and the growth and evolution of oil refining in Victoria.
From the time it was brought on stream in 1955, the Altona refinery has had an enormous impact on the
economic and physical development of Altona and surrounding suburbs. The refinery has additionally been a
major employer in the area and continues to be so. As one of two operating oil refineries in Victoria, the Altona
site has also made a major contribution to the oil industry in the State.
1 Gary Vines and Andrew Ward Western Region Industrial Heritage Study, Melbourne's Living Museum of the West,
1989 2 Hobsons Bay heritage study, Graeme Butler and Associates, David Helms Heritage Planning and Management (Firm)
Hobsons Bay (Vic.), 2003-2004. Infralib: 720.99451 WIL 3 Allom Lovell & Associates Conservation Architects, 2002, Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme Amendment C17,
Submission To The Panel And Advisory Committee on The Proposed Inclusion of Mobil’s Yarraville Terminal & Altona
Refinery in The Schedule to the Heritage Overlay, prepared for URS Australia, on Behalf of Mobil Refining Australia
The refinery is also a site where the significance predominantly derives from the process as a whole, and not
from the individual elements, although some of these, such as the TCC (which was the only catalytic cracking
plant of this specific type to be commissioned in Australia), are also of great interest.”
The panel report for Amendment C17 supported the extent of the exhibited HO149 (which encompassed the
entire refinery site on the north east of the Miller Road and Kororoit Creek Intersection), and further
recommended that:
The amendment should be modified to include an Incorporated Document that excludes all of the areas of the
site from any requirement for a planning permit for buildings and works pursuant to Clause 43.01.
The Statement of Significance should be amended to exclude reference to the office block across the intersection
(not in the Heritage Overlay) and to emphasis the value of the ongoing operation of the refinery in support of the
site’s heritage values.
The Panel's report is not binding on the Council or the Minister but it must be taken into consideration before
the Council of the Minister makes a decision. If the Council does not adopt a recommendation of the Panel it
must give reasons why not. A permanent heritage overlay was implemented under Amendment C17, but the
council did not accept all of the recommendation of the Panel in relation to the Mobil Site. The Minister
approved the amendment on this basis.
The extent of the heritage overlay control is shown on Figure 3, and is further described in the explanatory
note contained in the schedule to the overlay, which is as follows:
Whole site with emphasis on fabric from the 1949-53 era, specifically the offices complex facing Millers Road and
the Thermofor Catalytic Cracking Plant plus land within nominally 10m of the former offices and plant.
Figure 3: Plan of extent of existing Heritage Overlay control
1.4 Consultation
Consultation during the assessment was undertaken with the client, Mobil Australia, and Council planning
department representatives. The latter endeavoured to establish council expectations in respect of the form
of a potential incorporated document and permit exemptions. During this consultation the council supported
the development of an incorporated document to manage the process of upgrade and change to the plant.
Council resolved to prepare an Incorporated Document as part of C17; however, because of a lack of Council
resources, Mobil was advised to prepare the document. During preparation of the document, Council advised
that an incorporated document is not the appropriate regulatory mechanism to have in place to manage the
heritage value of the Refinery and this report has instead been prepared to document the significance of the
Refinery and to support a planning scheme amendment to remove the heritage overlay.
Altona Refinery is owned and operated by Mobil Refining Australia Pty Ltd, an affiliate of Exxon Mobil
Corporation. The terms Corporation, Company, affiliate, ExxonMobil, Mobil, Esso, our, we and its as used in
this material may refer to Exxon Mobil Corporation, to one of its affiliates or to any one or more of the
foregoing. The shorter terms are used merely for convenience and simplicity.
1.5 Methodology
The historic heritage assessments are based on the following general methodology:
Review of statutory and non-statutory heritage lists and registers, to identify the location and
significance of heritage items, places, and archaeological sites in the vicinity of the Study Area:
– National Heritage List (NHL);
– Commonwealth Heritage List (CHL);
– Victorian Heritage Register (VHR);
– Victorian Heritage Inventory (VHI);
– National Trust of Australia (Vic) Register;
Register of the National Estate (RNE).
Desktop assessment of the environmental context and previous land use history of the Study Area
including a review of the Hobsons Bay Heritage Study and other assessment documents;
Preparation of a thematic history of the Study Area, based on a review of relevant primary and
secondary historical documentation, maps and photographs, including examination and copying of
items from the Exxon Mobil archives;
Site inspection of the refinery, photography and analysis, to confirm the location and condition of
known and potential heritage items;
Review of cultural heritage values (or heritage significance);
Assessment of the impacts of the proposed development on the cultural heritage values of items;
The assessments are consistent with the principles and guidelines of the Burra Charter (The Australia ICOMOS
charter for the conservation of places of cultural significance).
1.6 Limitations of the Study
Access was provided to the refinery by Exxon Mobil for this study, including internal access to most buildings
and plant. However, safety requirements precluded closer inspection of some parts of the site – this was not
considered to have impacted on the results. No other limitations were present in undertaking the study.
2 Historic Background
2.1 Origins of oil refining
The origins of the modern oil industry can be traced to the development of distillation of Kerosene (a
proprietary brand of paraffin) from crude oil in the mid nineteenth century. Oil fields were established in
Azerbaijan, Poland, Romania the USA and Canada by the mid nineteenth century. Kerosene quickly replaced
other oils used for lighting, including whale oil and coal tar. Crude oil was heated in a vertical chamber and
the resulting compounds or 'fractions' were condensed at various points in the column. Fractional Distillation
allowed separation of tar, lubricating oils, petroleum and diesel products. Initially the Kerosene component
was seen as the main saleable product, but with the popularity of the automobile, the lighter petroleum
product became more important, and so new techniques were developed to produce a greater proportion of
this from the crude and other fractions.
Catalytic cracking (a process of breaking a long-chain of hydrocarbons into short ones) was developed in the
early twentieth century to extract higher proportions of the more valuable fractions from oil. The first
commercial process was developed in 1915 by Almer M. McAfee for the Gulf Refining Company with a batch
process using aluminum chloride. However this was too costly to be adopted widely. In 1922, Houdry and
Prudhomme first developed a catalytic process for converting lignite coal to gasoline. Houdry applied Fuller's
earth, (a clay mineral containing aluminosilicates) as a catalyst in converting oil derived from lignite to gasoline
and then applied the process to the catalysis of petroleum oils converting vaporized petroleum oil to gasoline.
In 1930 Houdry moved his laboratory to Paulsboro, New Jersey at the invitation of the Vacuum Oil Company.4
In 1931, the Vacuum Oil Company merged with Standard Oil of New York (Socony) to form the Socony-
Vacuum Oil Company. In 1933, a small Houdry unit processed 200 barrels per day of petroleum oil. The
Houdry process was subsequently adopted in the 1930s by Socony-Vacuum and the Sun Oil Company to
achieve 50 percent of the cracked product converted to gasoline compared with about 25 percent from the
thermal cracking processes.
Initially only semi-batch processing was undertaken but Socony-Vacuum then achieved continuous operation
with a moving-bed process known as Thermofor Catalytic Cracking (TCC), which used a bucket conveyor-
elevator to move the catalyst from the regeneration kiln to the separate reactor section. A demonstration TCC
unit was operating successfully at Socony-Vacuum's Paulsboro refinery in 1941 producing 500 barrels per
day, and a full-scale commercial TCC unit processing 10,000 barrels per day came on stream in 1943 at the
Beaumont, Texas refinery of Magnolia Oil Company, an affiliate of Socony-Vacuum. By the end of World War II
in 1945, TCC units were producing 300,000 barrels per day.5
The Houdry TCC units have been claimed as a major factor in the winning of World War II by producing high-
octane gasoline, which was critical for the more efficient higher compression ratio engines of the Spitfire and
the Mustang used by the British and US air forces.6
The fluid catalytic cracking process was initially investigated in the 1920s by Standard Oil of New Jersey, but
research was abandoned due to the economic depression years 1929 to 1939. In 1938, a consortium called
4 Eger Murphree and the Four Horsemen: FCC, Fluid Catalytic Cracking, http://nacatsoc.org/history/eger-murphree-and-
the-four-horsemen-fcc-fluid-catalytic-cracking/ 5 "Houdry Process for Catalytic Cracking". American Chemical Society.
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/houdry.html Retrieved 18 December, 2014. 6 Tim Palucka (Winter 2005). "The Wizard of Octane: Eugene Houdry". Invention & Technology 20 (3).
Catalytic Research Associates (CRA) comprising five oil companies (Standard Oil of New Jersey, Standard Oil of
Indiana, Anglo-Iranian Oil, Texas Oil and Dutch Shell), two engineering-construction companies (M.W. Kellogg
and Universal Oil Products) and a German chemical company (I.G. Farben) resumed the project. The
Standard Oil of New Jersey (now Exxon-Mobil Company) developed the first fluidized catalytic cracking unit
with pilot plant in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Refinery commencing in 1940. This process employed a low
velocity gas flowing through a powder to "lift" it enough to cause it to flow in a manner similar to a liquid. The
first commercial fluid catalytic cracking plant (known as the Model I FCC) began processing 13,000 barrels per
day of petroleum oil in the Baton Rouge Refinery in May 1942.7
2.2 Oil and Petrol in Australia
Oil products were imported into Australia in relatively large quantities from the late nineteenth century,
initially to supply heating, lighting, motor fuels and lubricating oils, kerosene and other products. Product was
shipped, stored, distributed and sold in ubiquitous metal containers; the 4 gallon kerosene tin becoming a
standard.
By the 1890s, demand was such that several major British and American companies established centralised
import depots and a network of local agencies: Shell (c. 1900), Vacuum Oil (1895) and the Standard Oil Co.
(c.1900).8 The Vacuum-Colonial Company dominated the Australian oil import market for the first two
decades of the twentieth century.
The need for greater efficiencies led to the creation of new bulk handling facilities at Shell's Gore Bay facility in
Sydney and at an old wool store in Williamstown near Railway (Nelson) Pier, both in use in 1901. The Standard
Oil Company established its own facility in Williamstown. 9 While other firms established branches in
Australia, including Neptune in 1909 and the Texas Company (TEXACO) in 1918.10 Bulk shipments
commenced at Gore Bay in 1903. However, the first bulk cargo of motor spirit arrived in 1914.11
A number of petroleum companies set up import and distribution facilities in the Spotswood-Yarraville area in
the inter-war period including:
Vacuum Oil Co., which constructed a substantial terminal on the river at Yarraville in 1924-5 (now
Mobil’s Yarraville terminal)
Alba Petroleum (later Ampol), a wholly Australian owned company, which constructed its storage
compound on the west side of Douglas Parade (on both sides of the current Sun Avenue)
The Atlantic Oil Co. (later Esso), in Simcock Avenue, Spotswood
HC Sleigh, operating a series of tanks south of Sun Avenue in the late 1930s.12
7 Amos A. Avidan, Michael Edwards and Hartley Owen (Mobil Research and Development) (January 8, 1990).
"Innovative Improvements Highlight FCC's Past and Future". Oil & Gas Journal 88 (2). 8 Shell Company of Australia Limited. Eighty Years at Newport. p. 1; the Sands and McDougall Melbourne Directory for
1901 lists the Vacuum and Standard Oil Companies, both of which hailed from the United States. 9 L Strahan. At the Edge of the Centre. p. 362-3 10 Murray, 2001. Pp.28-9 11 R Wilkinson, A Thirst For Burning. p. 171 12 The firm was established in Melbourne in 1895 and set up as an importer and distributor of petroleum products in
1913. Something of an innovator in the industry, by the 1920s HC Sleigh had opened 20 service stations in Melbourne
with drive-in facilities later described as ‘35 years ahead of their time’. From the late 1940s it traded as Golden Fleece. R
Wilkinson. A Thirst For Burning. p. 175.
The British Imperial Oil Company Ltd (a subsidiary of Shell formed in 1905) bulk distribution terminal
with the assistance of the Melbourne Harbour Trust, on the Yarra River at Newport between 1913
and 1915, with large holding tanks, pumping equipment and bulk distribution facilities.13
Use of motor cars in Australia expanded exponentially in the 1920s. Numbers of registered motor cars, trucks
and bicycles In Victoria, doubled between 1917 and 1922 to 47,750 and was over 150,000 by 1928, with about
three-quarters of these vehicles being housed in or near Melbourne.14
The fuel demands of this growth in motoring resulted in a considerable expansion of the oil and petroleum
industry. In addition to bulk storage facilities and packing plants, two refineries were constructed in Australia.
The first was the Commonwealth Oil Refineries (COR) in 1922 on a site near Kororoit Creek, Laverton and the
second was built at Clyde, NSW, by John Fell & Co in 1926, which was purchased by Shell in 1927-28.
The Commonwealth Oil Refinery Co. was established as a joint venture between the Commonwealth
Government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Co. with crude oil unloaded at a dedicated wharf and bulk sto

Appendix 6 Amendment C107 Mobil Altona Refinery Proposed

Text of Appendix 6 Amendment C107 Mobil Altona Refinery Proposed

Catalog Punti Termice C107-3 P2

Altona KW22

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ALTONA P-9 COLLEGE NEWSLETTERaltonap9college.vic.edu.au/app/webroot/uploaded... · ALTONA P-9 COLLEGE NEWSLETTER Edition 9 June 14 2013 Altona P-9 College, 103a Grieve Parade, Altona

Altona KW23

SNRB C107 B20072911460 - uMhlathuze · KWAN . Title: SNRB C107 B20072911460 Created Date: 7/29/2020 11:46:28 AM

Catalog Punti Termice C107-3 P6

Normativ C107-1 2005

Catalog Punti Termice C107-5 2005

C107 Certification Report - CyberSecurity Malaysia · C107 Certification Report ISCB-5-RPT-C107-CR-v1 Page iv of ix PUBLIC Foreword The Malaysian Common Criteria Evaluation and Certification

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Altona Refinery 2017 Safety Case Summary - ExxonMobil · 2019-09-04 · We at the Altona Refinery are committed to operating our plant in a manner that is compatible with the environmental

Altona KW47

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Altona Refinery Community Bulletin Sep 2016 - …cdn.exxonmobil.com/.../altona-community-bulletin-sep-2016.pdf · September 2016 Altona Refinery You ... Applications Engineer Jun

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Altona KW05

The offshore installations in Bass Strait consist of 19 ...cdn.exxonmobil.com/~/media/australia/files/publications/...Long Island Point Altona Refinery Fuel Terminals Sea deck Jacket

Conform C107

Normativ C107-5 la mo

Modificari (ordinul 386-2014) C107-2005

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Altona Refinery Community Bulletin - Nov. 2019 · Altona Refinery is owned and operated by Mobil Refining Australia Pty Ltd, an affiliate of Exxon Mobil Corporation. The terms Corporation,

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Documents

Appendix 6 Amendment C107 Mobil Altona Refinery Proposed

Text of Appendix 6 Amendment C107 Mobil Altona Refinery Proposed