Owning a heritage-listed property is a wonderful thing.
Your property is a piece of history – representing a time gone by.
That often means that it is also in need of a little TLC.
One of the biggest frustrations for heritage property owners are the limitations put on improving the property.
In order to preserve the heritage and traditional ‘look’, councils often impose restrictions on what you can change about a Heritage Property.
This can mean even adding a storage shed without development and heritage approvals is out of question if the heritage listing identifies your entire property as a heritage item.
There’s good news, however.
At the time of writing this article, the NSW exempt development code for sheds, cubbies and cabanas says you can carry out exempt development in your rear yard if you are just in a heritage conservation area. You can’t however carry out exempt development in or on a heritage item. However, it is important to note that the NSW exempt code also defines a heritage item as a building, work, archaeological site, tree, place or Aboriginal object identified as a heritage item in an environmental planning instrument. If your NSW property only contains a heritage item and your local planning instrument does not identify the whole property as a heritage item then depending on where you intend to install your shed/cubby or cabana you may still be able to take advantage of NSW exempt development provisions.
See the following link for current guidelines: https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/epi-2008-0572#pt.2-div.1-sdiv.9
That said, if your entire NSW property is identified as a heritage item then all is not lost – you may still be able to obtain an exemption from your local council to install a shed, cubby or cabana as minor exempt works that do not affect the historical significance of the heritage property.
See following link to NSW standard instrument that all NSW councils have to follow with their own local planning instruments: https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/epi-2006-155a#sec.5.10
Another option to consider is that NSW Exempt Legislation at the time this article was published allows for erection of a garbage bin storage enclosure on both heritage and non-heritage properties so long as you meet certain criteria. This means that you can put a garbage bin storage enclosure on your NSW heritage affected property so long as it is in the rear yard. You can also go as close as 450mm to the boundary and there is also no size limit or height limit specified!
See the following link for current guidelines: https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/EPI/2008/572/part2/div1/subdiv21a
Styles of Garden Rooms that suit Heritage Properties
If you are needing something other than a garbage bin enclosure and need a Garden Room design considered to be sympathetic with a heritage property, we recommend our Verandah or Porch Designs.
Both designs feature a traditional pitched roof, and can be customised with classic options such as cedar cladding and cedar windows.
Next Steps
Adding a garden room to your property is fast & easy.
Our friendly team are on hand to walk you through the process.
In just a few weeks, you can have your Garden Room made for you, and then our in-house teams come and assemble it on your property in ONE Day!*
Click here to download our pricelist (which contains dimensions and pricing), and get your project started!
*Roadside delivery available nationwide. Arrange your installation with an installer/builder/carpenter for same day as delivery!
