Overview
Properties that have significant architectural merit, social history, aboriginal history, industrial history or landscape value to the North Sydney area can be categorised as either:
- Heritage Items - listed in Schedule 5 of the North Sydney Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2013
- Conservation Areas - listed in Part B, Section 13, of the North Sydney Development Control Plan (DCP) 2013
You can find listed heritage properties in our area by:
- clicking LEP 2013 in Map Features on our interactive maps
- or by searching the NSW State Heritage Inventory, which also lists practising heritage architects and planners.
Heritage Items
Heritage items are individual buildings, structures and places of individual value. A Heritage Item listing covers the entire property, including the land, gardens, site features, building interiors and exteriors.
Significant elements of items may extend beyond the lot boundary to include the surrounding setting and the visual links with other related properties and surrounding vantage points, such as the waterfront and street. This is known as the
'visual curtilage'.
With Council consent, Heritage Items may be used for any purpose including those not ordinarily permitted within its zone, provided that it will not reduce its heritage significance, residential density or surrounding amenity.
Conservation Areas
Conservation areas are areas in which the historic origins and relationships between various elements create a cohesive sense of place that is worth keeping.
Elements that make the conservation areas significant may include subdivision patterns, consistency of age, style or materials of the building stock, streetscapes (including lanes), landscaping, and street verges. For all buildings in conservation areas, the conservation area listing focuses
on the external envelope of buildings, gardens, and site structures.
There are three types of conservation area listings:
• contributory items
• neutral items
• uncharacteristic elements.
All heritage-listed properties are eligible for reduced land tax. Owners of heritage items and buildings in conservation areas can request a heritage restricted valuation, which can adjust the land tax to reflect the existing property value rather than the land’s maximum redevelopment potential.
Owners of heritage items that produce income may also be able to claim tax deductions for maintenance and repair work or depreciation against the assessed income.
