This page provides information about a range of heritage and development issues.

Heritage listed properties 

Heritage listings can apply to single buildings (Heritage items) or it can apply to whole streets or suburbs (Heritage Conservation Areas). The terms Heritage Item and Heritage Conservation Area are legal terms established in the Newcastle Local Environmental Plans (NLEP 2003 + NCCLEP 2008).

Heritage Items

Heritage Items are included in the LEP for three main reasons:

1. to safeguard their heritage significance through regulatory control;
2. to promote their long term conservation; and
3. to provide incentives for their survival and for their adaptive reuse.

The LEP requires that development achieves the objectives contained in the LEPs. This means that Council MUST consider the heritage significance of a heritage item, when it is assessing a development application, and Council must assess how a proposal conserves the heritage item. Council must also consider how negative impacts are to be mitigated. Furthermore, Council must consider what impacts might arise when a development is proposed near to a heritage item.

If you own a heritage item and you wish to change it, think about what the significant attributes of the item are. Council has provided a "Statement of heritage significance" for most heritage items that may be downloaded from the Newcastle Heritage Register.

Once you know what's significant about your heritage item or your heritage conservation area, you can then look at what options are available for recycling and upgrade, knowing what it is you need to keep and conserve.

It is advisable to discuss your proposal with council staff before you lodge a development application.

Heritage Conservation Areas

Heritage Conservation Areas are managed in a similar way to heritage items except that this listing applies to precincts or suburbs. 

For further infromation about these areas please see the page Conservation Areas where you can download maps, guidelines for developments, building information and statements of significance.

Do I have to use a Heritage Architect?

It makes good sense to use building and design professionals who have experience in heritage conservation work.  Heritage consultants, heritage builders and heritage architects  are trained to offer a high level of expertise in historic buildings and traditional construction. This would be especially important if the building you are seeking to alter is a heritage item.

The NSW Heritage Branch maintains a database of conservation architects, builders, and suppliers of heritage services for you to find the right heritage expert for your situation. You can use it to search for a heritage practitioner relevant to your particular job.

Browse the Heritage Consultant's Directory .

Where can I find tradespeople that will do restoration work?

A comprehensive Products & Services Directory  has been put together by the NSW Heritage Branch to assist people in finding heritage tradespeople and products.

Do I have to submit a Heritage Impact Statement with my Development Application for a heritage item? 

When you submit a DA for work to a heritage item or for work requiring consent in a heritage conservation area, you need to submit a heritage impact statement.

The complexity of the Heritage Impact Statement should be tailored to the nature of the development proposal. For alterations and additions to a Heritage Item or for extensions in a heritage area that are likely to affect the external appearance of the building, we strongly recommend that a heritage practitioner be consulted early in the design development period and before the DA is lodged. 

In some cases it is acceptable for home owners to prepare their own reports, where the work is minor or not likely to affect the heritage item in a negative way.

A template has been prepared for these situations to assist you in formulating your statement:

 Heritage Impact Statement template (29kb)

In some circumstances, a Conservation Management Plan may be required for major or complex development proposals, or for state significant heritage items.

Can I demolish a heritage item?

Generally speaking, the City of Newcastle will not permit demolition of a heritage item - however all development proposals will be looked at on their merits. Demolition of a heritage item would typically only be approved where the significance of the item has been destroyed or lost; or where there is overwhelming structural instability that cannot be rectified (an example would be major damage incurred by an earthquake). 

The reason that heritage items are listed is to encourage their care, and to support the conservation of those items through their ongoing maintenance and adaptation. Our heritage items provide linkages to our local history and give a sense of character to the city. Heritage items are evidence of Novocastrian history and culture and have intrinsic value for everyone.

Having said this, we encourage heritage items and places to be lived in, and for businesses to operate within them. Buildings that are occupied have a much greater chance of survival and commitment to maintenance by the property owner.

The City of Newcastle supports creative and innovative solutions when adapting heritage items to new or different uses. Heritage items provide the talented designer or architect with a rich canvas by which to achieve exemplary design through building recycling. 

How do I find out if my property is a Heritage Item?

To find out if your property is heritage listed check in Schedule 6 of the Newcastle LEP 2003. Heritage Items are arranged alphabetically by suburb, street, then street number. If you know the Lot and DP number you can use it to check that you are looking at the right property. Similarly, you can use the heritage schedule to check if the property you own or are considering purchasing is located in the vicinity of a heritage item.

The Newcastle Heritage Register is a database of all heritage items in Newcastle and its six Heritage Conservation Areas. Search it to find information about the heritage significance of an item, its history and obtain images of the item.

How does Council determine if a place has heritage significance?

Heritage significance is determined by applying the standard and rigorous "State Heritage Inventory Criteria" developed by the Department of Planning - Heritage Branch.

Determining heritage significance is a complex and lengthy process conducted by experts in heritage conservation. Only when there is clear evidence of heritage significance can a place be considered for heritage listing. 

The decision to heritage list a property is not taken lightly. Council has conducted several heritage studies to try to identify the best examples of important heritage places in our local area; places considered significant to the people of Newcastle for their ability to reveal aspects of our history. 

The most recent heritage study was undertaken by council in 1996. It offers a city wide survey of Newcastle's heritage and was put on public exhbition for community comment between 1996 and 1997. The heritage items identified were later included in the LEP after exhibition and consultation.  Further information on the heritage significance of individual items can be obtained by searching the Newcastle Heritage Register.

I want to purchase a house in a Heritage Conservation Area. What can I do to it? Can I demolish it? Are there restrictions on development?

There are six Heritage Conservation Areas in Newcastle: The Hill, Cooks Hill, the Newcastle CBD, Newcastle East, Hamilton "Garden Suburb", and Beaumont Street. Guidelines on the types of alterations and additions appropriate in these areas are contained in the Newcastle Development Control Plan.

You can also find information about these six areas in the Newcastle Heritage Register  by searching under your suburb of interest. As a general rule of thumb, houses in Heritage Conservation Areas will be part of the character of the area and should be kept and maintained, just as heritage items are.

Are there public archives for researching my home's history? 

Yes. Newcastle City Council and the University of Newcastle each hold significant collections of research material obtained from around the Hunter region. The University of Newcastle Cultural Collections  is located at the main campus library. Contact the University Archivist for more information about the collection and the level of public access available. The Newcastle Region Library has a significant collection of cultural materials such as maps, plans, photographs, newspapers and manuscripts that may be used for research.

You can view the catalalogue on-line, see the pages on local history, or visit Local Studies, Level 2, Newcastle Region Library, Laman Street Newcastle.

I live in a Heritage Conservation Area and want to repaint my house. Do I have to use heritage colours because I'd prefer a more contemporary look.

Colour schemes are a very personal choice and reflect our individual style and preferences. The decision about external colours for your home is therefore a personal one - even if you live in a heritage conservation area. Council is supportive of creative and original schemes and encourages aesthetically pleasing colours that suit the style of the house and the architecture of the street. If you're unsure where to start and need a little inspiration, have a look at our inspirational fact sheet.

You will need to notify council of your proposed colour if you live in a Heritage Conservation Area or you own a Heritage item, and you intend changing the external colours. If you do not intend to change the external colours, you are not required to notify council. 

An important exclusion is face brick & natural stone  materials, which need to be left exposed so they can breath. Such surfaces are best cared for by gentle cleaning to remove surface pollutants. Re-pointing the mortar joints can also improve the building's appearance where required and will bring out the natural beauty of your historic building.

Remember, use high quality paint brands and products that minimise environmental damage.