After World War 1 and the Great Depression, many owners of large houses found them too impractical to maintain. Domestic servants and gardeners had become too expensive and taxes and council rates had risen. During this period and later, many houses were pulled down or their superfluous grounds subdivided and sold. Fortunately, some were repurposed for private schools or charitable and community uses and this has saved them.

‘Tourmont’ in Balwyn Road, ‘The Grange’, ‘Roystead’, ‘Highton’ and ‘Kingussie’ in Mont Albert Road became part of schools. ‘Shrublands’ became St John’s Boys’ Home; ‘Linda’, in Canterbury Road became the Presbyterian Babies’ Home, later Hedley Sutton; Frognall was bought by the Department of the Air. Canterbury Memorial Hall which would now be classified with a Heritage Listing, was demolished in 1979. However, other important sites have been saved by community action.

A small group of residents from the early 1970’s managed to save the period shops in Maling Road from a most unsuitable modern redevelopment by forming the Canterbury Community Advancement Co-operative Society Ltd in 1975. This focussed and facilitated consultation between concerned residents and council. The Maling Precinct Protection Group under Lorri Buttner followed on and generated a response from residents that led to the three volume Heritage Overlay. In the early 2000s, Robin Da Costa Adams researched each of the houses in Balwyn Road, Canterbury and with the consent of owners, initiated an approach to Council which resulted in a Heritage Overlay of the whole street: Balwyn Road Residential Precinct – a first. Boroondara Council has funded further research and Heritage Overlays

The Canterbury Community Action Group whose motto is ‘Progressing the future; Protecting the past’, formed in 2013 and continues to have a substantial impact in protecting, maintaining and enhancing the beauty and amenity of the suburb. It links voluntary groups such as Canterbury Stationers who maintain the gardens near the station and Canterbury Friends who maintain them around the Maling Road Precinct. 3126 is delivered to the whole postcode.