FAQs

Listing Heritage Items, because of their associations, their history, or their intrinsic qualities – their heritage significance – means that properties can be appropriately managed and respected when planning for new development. 

Heritage listings assist in facilitating sensitive change to ensure Heritage Items retain their significance and functionality into the future. 

Heritage listing therefore gives certainty to owners and the wider community that the heritage qualities of a property will be protected for the benefit of current and future generations.

There are limitations to development of a Heritage Item including:

• Demolition of a Heritage Item is not permitted
• A Development Application is required to alter a Heritage Item that is a building, including, making changes to its detail, fabric, finish or appearance, however, for minor works a Heritage Exemption may be provided. 
• A Complying Development Certificate cannot be issued for a Heritage Item. 
• Alterations and additions to a Heritage Item must conserve the heritage significance of the site, including associated fabric, settings and views.
• Lot subdivision or amalgamation is generally not supported.

Heritage listing does not pre-determine what can or cannot change. Instead, listing triggers a process for managing change. This is by lodging a Development Application or Heritage Exemption Application for Council's assessment under the heritage controls. Heritage items can be altered through this process that maintains the heritage significance of the place.

As each property will have differing features and its own unique history, this careful approval process allows changes to be individually assessed by Council on their merit. 

Proposed Heritage Items are identified in the map on this page. Council has also sent letters to affected property owners.

This may only affect your property if you lodge a development application (DA), as you may be required to prepare a Heritage Impact Statement. Being near a Heritage Item does not impact on the ability to carry out exempt or complying development.

Exempt development is minor development that does not require any approval provided it meets specified criteria. Complying development is low impact development that can be approved by either Council or a privately accredited certifier.

Academic research tends to show that heritage listing has a neutral or moderately positive impact on property values when comparing properties of the same type.

The Productivity Commission produced the following report (PDF, 90KB) on the impact of heritage listing on property value in Sydney's North Shore

However, you will need to seek your own independent advice regarding the value of your specific property.

Development applications must include a heritage impact statement (HIS) for heritage items, or for land in the vicinity of a heritage item or for a building, work, relic, site or place within a heritage conservation area. 

The statement must identify the heritage significance of an item, place or area, the impacts of any proposed changes, and how these impacts will be mitigated. 

The length of the statement will vary depending on the scale and complexity of the proposal. A brief account included in the statement of environmental effects (SEE) may be sufficient for minor work that will have little or no impact on the significance of a heritage conservation area. A more extensive report would be required for more complex proposals or those that will have a major impact on a Heritage Item. 

Notes: 

Applications should show that consideration has been given to the conservation and heritage of the item or component of a heritage conservation area under Part H of this plan. 

Applicants should refer to: 

• Local Government Heritage Guidelines, Heritage NSW at heritage.nsw.gov.au. 
• Development application checklist – supplementary information, Willoughby City Council, available at willoughby.nsw.gov.au.

For general queries on the Heritage Impact Statement requirements as part of development application lodgement, you may speak to Council's Heritage Officer. 

A heritage place may have one or more level of significance. Most heritage in Willoughby is of Local Significance, meaning it is important to the heritage of City of Willoughby and is listed on the Willoughby Local Environment Plan 2012 in Schedule 5. 

Heritage places that are rare, exceptional or outstanding beyond the local area or region may be of State Significance and are listed on State Heritage Register by NSW government.

This planning proposal is limited to assessing heritage of Local Significance.

It gives certainty to the property owners in the area and the wider community that the heritage qualities and characteristics of an area will be protected for the benefit of future generations

Development including alterations and additions within a Heritage Conservation Area will require a Development Application (DA) and approval from Council.

Minor works can generally be approved through a Heritage Exemption Application and without the need for a Development Application, subject to an assessment by Council's Heritage Officer. For example, works may include restoration, repainting, tile replacement etc. However, a Heritage Exemption will not be granted for the demolition or erection of a building or structure, change of use, or removal of trees (that do not pose an imminent risk to life or property).

Approvals may be required for development depending on the nature of the proposed works and the effect that it will have on the identified significance of the Heritage Conservation Area. Council's Heritage Officer offers free advice and support to determine what is required to achieve a property owner's development objectives.

Not all buildings within a Heritage Conservation make an equal contribution to the heritage significance of the area. Buildings and sites can be assessed as being Contributory, Neutral or Detracting to the character and heritage significance of the heritage conservation area or heritage streetscape. 

Contributory buildings are buildings that make an important and significant contribution to the character of the heritage conservation area or heritage streetscape. They have a reasonable to high degree of integrity and date from a key development period of significance. They are defined as buildings which are from a: 

(i) significant historical period layer, highly or substantially intact; or 

(ii) significant historical period layer, altered yet recognisable and reversible. 

Neutral buildings are buildings that do not contribute or detract from the significant character of the heritage conservation area or heritage streetscape. Buildings that do not belong to a key period of significance, good contemporary infill, and development from a key period of significance which has been irreversibly altered, are identified as neutral. 

They are defined as buildings which are from a: 

(i) significant historical period layer, altered in form, unlikely to be reversed; 

(ii) new sympathetic layer or representative of a new layer;

or 

(iii) non significant historical period layer. 

Detracting buildings are buildings that are intrusive to a heritage conservation area or heritage streetscape because of inappropriate scale, bulk, setbacks, setting or materials. They do not represent a key period of significance and detract from the character of a heritage conservation area or heritage streetscape. They are defined as buildings which are: (i) new detracting development; or (ii) other det

Proposed Heritage Items and properties within the proposed Heritage Conservation Area are identified in the map on this page. Council has also sent letters to affected property owners.

This may only affect your property if you lodge a development application (DA), as you may be required to prepare a Heritage Impact Statement. Being near a Heritage Conservation Area does not impact on the ability to carry out exempt or complying development.  Exempt development is minor development that does not require any approval provided it meets specified criteria. Complying development is low impact development that can be approved by either Council or a privately accredited certifier.

Academic research tends to show that heritage listing has a neutral or moderately positive impact on property values when comparing properties of the same type.

The Productivity Commission produced the following report (PDF, 90KB) on the impact of heritage listing on property value in Sydney's North Shore

However, you will need to seek your own independent advice regarding the value of your specific property.