The Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, lies on the traditional lands of the Gadigal and Wangal peoples of the Eora Nation, who lived along the Parramatta River and surrounding areas for thousands of years. Following European colonisation in the late 18th century, the area developed rapidly due to its proximity to the Sydney CBD, becoming a hub for industry, working-class housing, and transport. By the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a centre for manufacturing and rail infrastructure. Over time, the Inner West transformed into a vibrant, multicultural region known for its heritage architecture, creative arts scene, and strong sense of community.
Heritage compliance can be a difficult part of any development involving a listed heritage item or a property located within a heritage conservation area. There are many restrictions that need to be navigated to ensure the best result is achieved for the client and ensuring the heritage values are retained.
Town Planning Collective is a boutique town planning and heritage consultancy that was formed with the goal of providing expert town planning and heritage reports for the every day client. With more than 15 years of experience in town planning and heritage consulting, we provide expert reports and advice for all developments within NSW and Queensland. Our experience and knowledge allows us to think outside the box to gain approvals where other firms fail. We offer a tailored approach to our services and can assist you with your development application in what ever suits your requirements. With a strong working knowledge of legislation, development and Council processes we are confident our reports will add value to your development and gain approval faster.
Experienced consultant town planners can help with your development
Bringing an experienced town planner and heritage consultant onboard can help you save money by avoiding unnecessary additional information requests or additional reports.
Engaging a town planner with heritage experience to prepare your statement of environmental effect and heritage impact statements cuts down on the approval timeframe.
Experienced town planners can project manage the development process. Consulting with relevant consultants to ensure your project is delivered and approved quickly.
Town planners and heritage consultants with Council experience are valuable in the development process. Council development officers know the process and understand what needs to be done to gain approval.
Town planners and heritage consulants help remove the stress out of a development application approval by avoiding additional information or just handling the whole Council process for you!
Heritage compliance can be a difficult part of any development involving a listed heritage item or a property located within a heritage conservation area. There are many restrictions that need to be navigated to ensure the best result is achieved for the client and ensuring the heritage values are retained.
Our heritage planner has over 15 years experience in the heritage space with experience as a Council Heritage Planner for one of Sydney’s largest Councils. We provide expert advice and support for your heritage development and can provide heritage impact statements as well as town planning services all in the one place, saving you time and money dealing with multiple consultants.
A heritage impact statement is a report that accompanies a development application where a property is a listed heritage item (listed in the Local Environmental Plan) or located within a heritage conservation area. The report provides details to the history of the item including the historical significance and details any previous developments that have occurred to the item. The report provides an assessment of the impacts the development will have on the heritage values of the item or conservation area and can provide mitigation measures to ensure the proposed development does not detract from the heritage significance.
A Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) contains five sections as follows;
Where minor work is proposed for a heritage item, such as repainting, minor repairs and replacing building elements (like for like), a report can be submitted to Council (under clause 5.10 of the LEP) to confirm whether the works require development consent. Where the works are shown to not impact the heritage item, Council will confirm that they can be undertaken without a development application. This process still requires the preparation of a heritage report but the report provides details to confirm the opinion it should be undertaken as exempt development. In the event that Council doesn’t agree with the recommendation, the report can be adapted easily to use for a development application.
A heritage conservation area (HCA) is as an area recognised and valued for its historic and aesthetic character. Important elements contributing to an HCA’s heritage significance include the architectural style of buildings, fences, subdivision pattern, trees and gardens. Any work occurring in an HCA requires a heritage impact statement which outlines the proposed development’s compliance with the heritage provisions of the heritage conservation area. The report provides a detailed assessment of the development and provides justifications for how the proposed works comply with the heritage values of the area. This can include impact on streetscape, landscaping and architectural features. Where the development is assessed as being non compliant with the HCA character then recommendations will be provided within the report (such as changing the roof style, adding dormer windows or setting the development back).
A common issue within heritage conservation areas is in regard to additional storeys added to a dwelling, particularly when the prevailing character of the area is single storey. This is generally achieved by locating the new storey behind the existing facade in a pavilion style extension and to design the roof form to obscure views from the street.
It is noted that complying development and most forms of exempt development can not be undertaken within a heritage conservation area and therefore approval is required from Council via a development application, which MUST be accompanied by a heritage impact statement.
The cost of a heritage impact statement are based on the heritage item and the works that are proposed. We aim to be competitive with our pricing for our heritage impact statement and can provide a flat fee quote once we have reviewed the information of the development.
Our standard heritage impact statement start at the following:
Exempt development – Heritage Impact statement for minor works – Starting at $1800
Simple Heritage Impact statement for Heritage Conservation area – Starting at $1800
Heritage impact statements for listed heritage items – Starting at $2600
Please note that the prices above are not fixed prices and will vary depending on the proposed development, Council area and the heritage details.
Further pricing discounts can apply for heritage impact statements where Town Planning Collective also prepares the statement of environmental effects.
The general time frame for a heritage impact statement is 2-3 weeks depending on the complexity of the development. For larger developments, or developments that require a site visit to assess the heritage item then these timeframes will be greater. We attempt to finalise the report as quickly as possible to ensure that your development application is able to be submitted as soon as possible without the lengthy delay.
If you would like a quote for your heritage impact statement report please send us an email at admin@theplanningcollective.com.au or fill out our contact form below and include any relevant plans or documents.
Fill out the form below to get a quote for a heritage impact statement or if you need assistance with your project.
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Lodged your DA and Council now wants a Heritage Impact Statement? If you’ve missed a heritage report in NSW, acting quickly is critical. We specialise in urgent, council-ready Heritage Impact Statements — often delivered within 48 hours. Here’s how to fix it fast and keep your project moving.
On average our statement of environmental effects and heritage impacts statements are delivered within two weeks of acceptance (or final plans). We pride ourselves on our fast delivery of expert technical reports for development applications. This fast turn around saves our clients time and money to get their DAs approved faster.
A Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) explains how proposed works may affect the heritage significance of a property or area. Learn when you need one and how to prepare an HIS that supports your development application in NSW.
We have been engaged for many development applications for change of use and other developments within the Queen Victoria Building. The site is a state heritage listed property that has a wonderful history. We have provided heritage impact statements for the fit out and change of use for stores within the building as any works within the historic building require development approval from Council.
Heritage impact statements can be expensive. We understand that this report can sometimes be the most expensive report for a development application. We go into detail of what goes into the report and how you can minimise your costs to obtain a HIS.
We have been engaged for many development applications for change of use and other developments within the Tramsheds complex at Forest Lodge. The site is a heritage listed property that has undergone substantial rejuvenation to turn a once dilapidated building into a thriving retail/food destination.
We recently worked on a project within “The Spot”, a heritage conservation area within Randwick Council. The project was for alterations and additions to an existing semi-detached dwelling. We give some information about the project and how we assisted our clients with their development application.
Property developers best friend is knowledge! Make an informed decision on your next property purchase by getting a pre-purchase feasibility report for as little as $400. Determine whether you can subdivide a site, building a duplex or a town house development before making an offer on the site.
Planning a renovation within a heritage conservation area? We talk about the requirements and what you can and can’t do without approval. Find out what is required with any development application and the process with heritage conservation areas and how to obtain approval with our help.
The statement of environmental effects is the most important report for a development application with Council. It is the cornerstone of any good development application and provides details of the development and an assessment of the compliance of the proposal against the relevant legislation and development controls (LEP and DCP). A good statement of environmental effects can make the difference between an approval or a refusal and can streamline the timeframe of the process.
Where a development doesn’t comply with the LEP development standard (such as minimum lot size, height of building and Floor Space Ratio) a variation to the development standard can be sought through the inclusion of a clause 4.6 report. We provide details regarding the report and where a variation might be appropriate.
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a crime prevention strategy that focuses on the planning, design and structure of cities and neighbourhoods. We discuss the principles of CPTED that are required to be assessed in any Crime Risk Reports for development applications.
Review of Environmental Factors State Environmental Planning Policy (Transport and Infrastructure) 2021 allows schools, TAFE and Universities to obtain approval for developments without requiring Council Development Application approval. We explain the process and what types of development can be achieved without Council approval.
Change of use and fitouts for cafes, shops etc within heritage buildings or conservation areas require Council approval. Find out what is required with any development application to obtain your approval and start operating.
Town Planning Collective is a professional town planning and heritage consulting practice providing expert advice and approval support for development applications across Sydney and New South Wales. We specialise in navigating local planning controls, heritage requirements, and council approval processes for residential and small-scale developments.
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