The Ku-ring-gai Local Government area is arguably one of the most beautiful places to live in Sydney, with its fragrant gums and vast areas of unspoiled bushland and wildlife from the surrounding national parks.

One of the most attractive features of the Ku-ring-gai area, must however be its architectural heritage. With gorgeous traditional, high-quality buildings on generous blocks of land, multiple architectural styles have been preserved.

Heritage Planning

This heritage preservation comes with a price when it comes to renovations and extensions.

Heritage listings are categorised into two main types:

1. Heritage items
2. Heritage conservation areas

A heritage item is as a building, work, archaeological site, tree or place that has heritage significance.

A heritage conservation area is a geographic area containing many different elements which collectively have heritage significance.

Planning regulations have been designed and implemented to protect and preserve the heritage qualities of the area to ensure that it can be retained for current and future generations.

In the Ku-ring-gai area, this is achieved through the controls of the Local Environmental Plan 2015 (LEP) and the Ku- ring-gai Development Control Plan 2020 (DCP).

The LEP provides information on which sites are heritage listed properties and which areas are marked as heritage conservation areas. The DCP provides specific controls on how to go about designing the proposed development.

All development on a heritage listed property requires development consent, achieved by  a Development Application (DA) to council and almost all development to properties within a heritage conservation area require DA approval, with the exception of some very minor works.

Be aware of the limitations

Renovations to your heritage home is an exciting but challenging process.

It is important to be aware of the limitations which are in place that preserve the amenity of both your property and the surrounding area. If you go ahead with building works that are not permissible, you are likely to receive an order to stop and remove and a monetary fine from council.

If you find yourself in an unfortunate position  – Contact Corona Projects. We can assist where you have carried out illegal works and council has issued you an order, stop work immediately and contact us for a free consultation.

Many houses within heritage conservation areas are obviously quite a lot older and the style and layouts are much smaller, which often does not accommodate for the modern living needs of individuals, couples or growing families.

Renovations and Extensions

Renovations and extensions are the best option to update your older home.

Improvements to your heritage property will add significant value to your property. Designing renovations within a heritage area needs to take into account the existing dwelling and characteristics of the local area. This will vary for each property or conservation area.

For example:
In heritage dwellings, the front facade and much of the original building should be retained where possible. Additions and extensions should be somewhat separated from the original building structure which should be mostly retained and connected via a link passage.

Engage a Qualified Heritage Consultant

Every site needs a unique planning and design solution should be applied.

Much of the development assessment within a heritage property is assessed based on merit and numerical controls, which is why it is essential to engage a qualified heritage consultant with experience with Ku-ring-gai council.

At Corona Projects, we work closely with a variety of consultants that have expertise in the Ku-ring-gai area and its development controls. We have prepared and lodged hundreds of Ku-ring-gai Council Development Approvals (DA’s) and have developed a thorough understanding of Ku-ring-gai council’s procedures, assessment processes and documentation requirements. We also keep a close engagement with the council officers during the assessment process of a DA to ensure that the application is streamlined from lodgment to determination.

Trees also represent a challenge in the Ku-ring-gai council areas, but the Corona Projects team have experience in managing this.

Corona Projects are experts in the Heritage Ku-ring-gai area

The Corona Projects team understand the council’s controls and have experience with the preparation and lodgment of DA’s on heritage properties, both large and small scale.

At Corona Projects, we can assist you with every stage of the development application process from concept designs to DA determination and construction certificate.

Contact us today to get in touch with our team for a free consultation.