Guiding Principles

Things to do
Things to avoid

Things to do

• Do as much as is necessary, but as little as possible. If you plan alterations on this basis, you will reduce costs and protect a place's values. Try to design alterations so that they have the smallest possible effect on the original design and building materials. Wherever possible, repair any deteriorated building elements rather than replace them.
• Keep the place in use. A disused building, structure, garden, or other feature is much more likely to fall into disrepair or decay when it no longer serves a useful purpose and no longer has the benefit of day-to-day use and care.
• Before making changes, find out and record all you can about the place so that you have an understanding and appreciation of what things contribute to the place's heritage values, and why it might be important to you and others.
• Respect the individuality of each place, the evidence of its age and character, and whatever historic or distinctive materials and finishes it contains.
• Look closely at the form, scale, proportions, patterns and detailing of the existing and surrounding buildings and use these to inform the design of your new work.
• Make sure that the scale and form of any new work is generally subservient to the existing building, so that the new doesn't upstage or dominate the old.
• Make additions and alterations reversible so you don't damage original fabric and any removed fabric can be reinstated if desired at a later date by a new owner.
• Plan new service installations carefully, in ways that result in the least intervention to original or unique heritage fabric. If damaged, original fabric can never be replaced.
• Be honest in your design especially when adding new features or extensions - changes should, on close examination, be distinct from but visually compatible (ie sympathetic) with the original. Directly replicating old or original fabric is usually discouraged.

Things to avoid

• Don't think you have to imitate the existing building's details or materials in your works. It is often not appropriate to make additions a literal copy of what already exists. Be honest about new features, but ensure they treat the older fabric with sensitivity.
• Don't allow your new work to diminish the integrity, aesthetic quality and aged character or charm of your heritage place and its contribution to the street or townscape.