The Greens will work to:

  • Protect the Inner Wests’ built heritage and historic suburbs.
  • Create more Heritage Conservation Areas (HCA’s)
  • Lobby the State Government to make HCA’s easier to achieve
  • Increase heritage listings
  • Create a Heritage Unit within Council
  • Support residents to retain and maintain their historic houses through planning incentives
  • Initiate a blue plaque program to better display our built heritage
  • Ensure that sites of Aboriginal significance are protected

The Greens want to protect the historic buildings of the Inner West. The Inner West has a unique character which is formed by the Victorian, Federation and Inter–war buildings that that were built in the late 18th and early 19th century. The Greens believe that the Inner West should be regarded as one large conservation or character area where all our historic buildings are seen as significant, contributory and worthy of some protection. We need to protect and celebrate our built heritage for ourselves and for wider Sydney.

One great way to protect our historic buildings is the creation of Heritage Conservation Areas (HCA’s). HCA’s don’t stop residents from doing alterations and additions or building a granny flats, but protect buildings from outright demolition, without any reference to the Council’s planning policies.

One of the greatest dangers to our historic houses are the state government’s State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPS). The SEPP’s allow historic houses, that aren’t in HCA’s, to be demolished without regard to Council’s development policies.

The Low-Cost Diversity Housing SEPP was recently foisted on Council and seriously undermines Council’s ability to protect our historical buildings. Unfortunately, some previous councillors have worked with the state government to reduce HCA’s and heritage protection, particularly in the Marrickville area.

If elected The Greens councillors on the Inner West Council will work to make sure Council’s policies give proper protection to our historic buildings. The Greens will also campaign for the State Government to approve new Heritage Conservation Areas, especially in Marrickville where they are most needed.

The Greens will create a specialist heritage unit in Council’s planning division to oversee Council’s support for the community to protect our heritage buildings. The heritage unit will undertake the necessary work to justify the creation of HCAs. It will constantly push the State Government to make heritage protection less difficult and expensive.

The Greens will support the expansion of the National Trust plaque system and more interpretive signage on our streets. A blue plaque program will unlock the hidden history of the Inner West.

The Greens will expedite the Lilyfield heritage conservation review. A 2004 Leichhardt heritage report recommended an expansion of existing heritage conservation areas in Lilyfield to cover the entire Campbell’s and Austenham Estate boundaries. The Greens will expedite the Lilyfield heritage conservation area to ensure local buildings are protected.

The Greens will champion Heritage Protection Legislation at all levels of government to protect places like Yasmar and Callan Park and the Garden Suburb of Haberfield. The former Marrickville Council area lost many of its draft HCA’s in the 2011 LEP review. The Greens will work hard to restore these HCA’s.

The Greens will dedicate resources in council to amplify the community’s desire to protect First Nations Heritage.

Regular and skilled maintenance is essential to preserve heritage buildings and the history embodied in them. The Greens will ensure Council does more to support and educate residents, providing a technical advice program to support the owners of heritage buildings to better maintain and protect them.

The Greens have a separate policy paper that seeks to give ordinary Inner West home owners greater ability to develop their property without demolishing the existing heritage building.