VPRS 17900 Street Alignment Field Note Quotes

This series consists of the street alignment field note quotes prepared by the City Surveyor's Office (later known as the City Engineer's Office) of the Melbourne City Council (VA 511). 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. In addition to the field not quotes, the files in this series include abstracts and certified copies of field surveys, survey reports and titles and other survey information.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 the Street Alignment Survey Field Books (VPRS 17899).By 1986 the Council reduced the survey fieldwork they undertook and were predominantly providing alignment quotes.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.

本系列档案由墨尔本市议会（Melbourne City Council，档案编号VA 511）的城市测量师办公室（City Surveyor's Office，后更名为城市工程师办公室（City Engineer's Office））编制的街道放线现场记录摘录组成。这些为草图图纸，曾提交给咨询开发商与建筑商，用以展示道路放线与既有建筑占地之间的位置关系。此外，还会向建筑商标注设于拟建工程对面的测量控制点（survey reference marks，通常为镀锌铁钉或铜铆钉）的位置关系。
除现场记录摘录外，本系列档案还包含外业测量摘要与经认证副本、测量报告、产权文件及其他测量相关资料。街道放线指的是街道与地块之间的边界线，也就是私有物业终止、公共区域起始的界限。
墨尔本建城初期数十年间，建筑与围栏的初始建造并未明确划定边界或确定宽度。约自1887年起，市政会开始就土地产权办公室的申请事宜，向律师与测量师提供放线细节，并在新建筑开工前向建筑师与建筑商提供相关放线信息。
约自1910年起，测量工作由城市测量师主导开展，用于铺设蓝石路缘石，并依据放线基准进行定位。此举旨在保留市政会已公告的人行道与车行道宽度。此类放线还可为巷道内的市政管线定位提供基准线。市政会确定并维护街道放线的初衷，是记录公共道路的范围，降低建筑侵占公共道路的概率。
1915年，市政会建筑部门开始审核所有建筑申请的图纸。1918年至1986年间，测量师办公室（后更名为城市工程师办公室）会在出具任何审批文件前，为几乎所有建筑与围栏施工申请开展放线测量工作，以确保建筑不会侵占道路放线范围。
放线测量工作涵盖对市政会、土地产权办公室及其他机构的档案馆藏进行调研，通常还会开展外业测量，相关工作均记录于《街道放线测量野外手册（Street Alignment Survey Field Books，档案编号VPRS 17899）》中。
至1986年，市政会缩减了自行开展的外业测量工作，转而主要提供放线摘录服务。1993年时，市政会仅为霍德尔网格（Hoddle Grid）范围内的建筑工程提供放线摘录服务；约2000年起，市政会彻底停止了该项服务，转而由咨询测量师开展放线测量工作。
部分巷道完全未划定道路放线范围。墨尔本市议会管辖范围内的巷道与街道并非所有放线均在土地产权办公室完成正式登记。但土地产权办公室的惯例是，只要放线内容与产权文件不存在显著不符，便会认可市政会提供的放线资料。