Heritage and Conservation-Area Slate Roofs in Sydney

North Sydney Council says: If you wish to carry out minor maintenance on a Heritage Item property, you can request approval from Council by writing to us. It lists as maintenance that needs its written permission: external painting of heritage items or premises in a conservation area, and the replacement of roofing or external windows. Its development control plan says: Retain original roofing materials, such as slate or terracotta tiles.

How councils describe an original slate roof

Inner West Council publishes heritage-area statements that list the original roof cladding as a key element: for Ashfield and Summer Hill's Victoria Square area, original roof forms with original cladding of slate or corrugated steel (Victorian period); slate or unglazed terracotta tiles (Federation period); unglazed terracotta tiles (Inter war period); and original chimneys. They are published under the running head Draft Comprehensive Inner West DCP 2016, and the Council's DCP page lists the Comprehensive DCP 2016 as the current plan for Ashfield, Croydon and Summer Hill. The NSW Heritage Office's sheet, dated March 1998, online edition 2004, says an old roof should be kept going as long as possible through regular maintenance.

Ask the council whether the property is a heritage item or in a conservation area, and what it needs to see before slates are stripped.

Does replacing a slate roof in a heritage area need approval?

It can. Exempt development does not reach a heritage item or a heritage conservation area, and North Sydney Council says replacing roofing on a heritage item or a conservation-area property needs its written permission. Other councils have their own rules, so ask yours.

Who decides what roof material I can use?

The council does, for its area. North Sydney Council's plan says to retain original roofing materials, such as slate or terracotta tiles.

How do I find out if my house is in a conservation area?

Ask the council. North Sydney Council points to its interactive maps and the NSW State Heritage Inventory, and other councils publish their own maps and lists.