The City of Sydney have reviewed their heritage conservation areas. Proposed boundary changes aim to place sites in the most appropriate conservation area, correct mapping errors, remove buildings that detract from heritage significance and include more contributory buildings.
There are currently 75 conservation areas within the Sydney. There are more than 22,000 buildings in the conservation areas, including the majority of around 15,000 (70%) terrace houses, 1,500 freestanding houses, 1,200 apartment buildings, 1,200 shops, 700 warehouses and 200 church, community and public buildings.
The buildings within the conservation areas range in age from some early European structures to those of the 21st century. There are almost one hundred buildings dating from the colonial period (1788 – c. 1840), of which 83 are heritage items. The predominant period of development is the Victorian period (c. 1840 – c. 1890) with almost 13,000 buildings, followed by the Federation period (c. 1890 – 1915) with 5000 buildings. Together, the buildings from the Victorian and Federation periods account for nearly 90% of buildings within the conservation areas.
The proposed planning controls for conservation areas aim to:
- support the retention and adaptation of buildings that contribute to the heritage significance of an area;
- reduce complexity and increase certainty in the planning controls; and
- update heritage policy to reflect changes that have occurred within conservation areas.
CoS will consider all feedback and report the results to Council and the Central Sydney Planning Committee. If Council approves the planning proposal after public feedback, they will finalise the planning proposal to bring the new planning controls into effect.
How you can give feedback
Consultation closes at 5pm on Wednesday 2 July 2025.
