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Heritage conservation areas

What is a heritage conservation area?

A heritage conservation area (HCA) is an area recognised and valued for its special historical and aesthetic character. Important elements that contribute to the heritage significance of a HCA include the architectural style of buildings, fences, trees and gardens.

HCAs protect not just single homes but whole areas from inappropriate development.

Is my property in a heritage conservation area?

Get a Section 10.7 Planning Certificate(PDF, 334KB) from Council for confirmation.

Use online mapping tool

Click the link to online mapping.
Click the search button tab.
Select property and then address from the drop down menu.
Complete the address detail and select find address.
When the map appears for the specified address, click the maps tab and select planning and then heritage from the drop down menu.
The heritage map should then be displayed with the corresponding legend.

Where to find information about a conservation area

Ku-ring-gai Council has updated the online heritage inventories for its heritage conservation areas with some more information about these areas, including the history, significance, map and 2024 photos. These area inventories can now be found online by searching for the name of the area on the State Heritage Inventory.

Search the State Heritage Inventory

Is my property being considered for inclusion in a HCA?

To find out the status of planning proposals with potential heritage conservation areas in Ku-ring-gai please visit the Department of Planning and Environment’s Local Plan Making Tracking System.

How was my area identified as a HCA?

The HCAs were originally identified by the National Trust in a Statewide survey in 1992. From the late 1990s to early 2000s, Council received a number of petitions from residents requesting Council to review the areas identified by the National Trust as potential conservation areas managed by Council.

From 2001 to 2005, Council commissioned heritage consultants to review the areas identified by the National Trust. The heritage reviews were widely exhibited but Council did not have authority to proceed with exhibiting a draft plan at the time.

In 2008 Council engaged a consultant to assess heritage significant areas within the local centres.

In 2010 Council reviewed areas outside the local centres again to determine the integrity and amount of change that had occurred. The heritage consultants recommended some areas still warranted management as broad conservation areas and some areas did not. Council exhibited the reviews in 2011 and exhibited a draft plan in 2012. Agreement was reached and gazettal of the draft plans were made on 5 July 2013.