Heritage and Terrace Home Architects in Sydney

A heritage item is a single listed property. A heritage conservation area is a whole area, protected for the character of its streets, so it covers houses that aren't individually listed. Your Section 10.7 planning certificate says which applies to yours. For a house in a conservation area, this generally means:

The fast-track CDC is mostly off the table

Under the Housing Code, complying development isn't allowed in a heritage conservation area, except for certain detached structures (excluding studios) and swimming pools (NSW Guide to Complying Development, 2022). Extending the house therefore usually requires a DA. Some internal alterations may still be permitted under the Housing Alterations Code. Your Section 10.7 Planning Certificate can help confirm whether this code applies to your property.

Changes to the building need consent

Inner West Council says that if works alter external or internal built elements, you'll need consent. For certain minor works, council can confirm in writing that consent isn't needed, through a heritage exemption certificate.

Expect a heritage report

A DA for a heritage-listed property or a home within a heritage conservation area generally requires a Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) to assess how the proposed works may affect its heritage significance and character.

Heritage requirements vary depending on the property and the council's Development Control Plan (DCP). Generally, the focus is on preserving the home's original character while allowing suitable alterations and additions.

• Front Façade and Streetscape: Original features such as the front façade, roof, chimneys, windows, verandahs and fencing are generally expected to be retained where they contribute to the property's heritage significance.
• Rear Extensions: Single or two-storey additions may be possible at the rear, provided they respect the original building's scale and character. New additions should generally be set back and designed to minimise their visibility from the street.
• Internal Alterations: Changes to the internal layout depend on the property's heritage status and the applicable DCP. Significant original features, including fireplaces, joinery and room layouts, may need to be retained.

For example, under the Leichhardt DCP 2013, dwellings within heritage conservation areas are required to retain the internal walls and roof form of the front two rooms. Other areas may have different requirements, making it important to check the applicable controls before planning alterations.

• Council's duty planner can explain the planning controls that apply to your property, but cannot confirm whether your proposed development will be approved.
• Pre-DA advice is a service offered by many Sydney councils to provide feedback on your proposal before submitting a DA. The process and fees vary between councils and may involve meetings with planning and heritage officers, depending on the project's complexity.
• On a DA in a conservation area, council's heritage staff may review the design and ask for changes, for example to height, roof form or how much the addition shows from the street.
• Neighbours are generally notified of a DA and can comment. Overshadowing, privacy and height are what they tend to raise, so we design those carefully and suggest you talk to them early.

DA assessment times vary between councils, and heritage applications can take longer if additional information or design changes are requested. Preparing complete, well-coordinated drawings and reports from the outset can help minimise unnecessary delays during the approval process.

Old houses tend to be dark in the middle, closed off from the garden and short on bathrooms. The fix is rarely more square metres. It's light, a connection to the garden, and the right rooms in the right places. Some of our heritage and character work:

• Everleigh, Balmain: a Victorian terrace. The design restores the iron lacework and façade, uses recycled brick to tie old and new together, and opens the plan with an L-shaped skylight. It arrived with an existing approval that didn't suit the market, and we reworked it into a home planned to sit within budget.
• Elara, Annandale, inside a heritage conservation area: the design keeps the period façade and adds a rear pavilion that opens the house to the garden and pool.
• Rosemere, Tempe: a worn-out federation house on a 284 m² block, approved for construction as two homes. The design keeps the federation front with its iron lacework and sets the new upper level behind it.