Heritage Assessment Redfern

Trace Heritage prepared a Statement of Heritage Impact for proposed alterations and additions to a heritage-listed Victorian workers cottage in Redfern. The property carries both an individual heritage listing and a contributory role within a conservation area — this dual heritage status meant the project required a particularly thorough assessment.

The Property and Its Heritage Context

The subject property is a modest Victorian Georgian style workers cottage constructed around 1886. Its individual heritage listing under Schedule 5 of the Sydney LEP 2012 as “Cottage and interior” recognises the building's significance as an increasingly rare surviving example of the small-scale worker housing that once characterised Redfern's residential streets.

The cottage also sits within the Cooper Street Conservation Area, a precinct that documents the historical pattern of working-class residential development in Redfern during the second half of the nineteenth century.

The Proposal

The owners proposed improvements to the cottage's liveability while respecting its heritage character. The scope of works included demolition of existing non-original rear and side additions and their replacement with new single-storey rear additions. The early timber panelled entry door and original double-hung windows were to be retained and repaired rather than replaced.

The existing non-original front brick boundary wall was to be removed and replaced with a timber paling fence — a treatment more consistent with the cottage's original nineteenth-century character.

Our Heritage Assessment

A central finding of our assessment was that the fabric of highest significance — the early timber entry door, the original timber-framed windows, and the spatial layout of the principal rooms — would be conserved and, where necessary, repaired. The demolition of non-original rear additions was assessed as having no adverse heritage impact.

The replacement of the non-original front boundary wall with a timber paling fence was identified as a positive heritage outcome, restoring a boundary treatment more consistent with the building's historical character.

Outcome

The Statement of Heritage Impact concluded that the proposed works retained and respected the significance of the heritage-listed Victorian workers cottage. The report found no adverse impact on the cottage's contributory value within the Cooper Street Conservation Area and recommended approval on heritage grounds.

This project demonstrates that even modest, individually listed heritage items can accommodate thoughtful change. The key lies in understanding which elements carry significance and ensuring the design response prioritises their conservation.