New Housing in the Inner West—Heritage Investigations
Heritage Advice
Heritage Assessments
Heritage Design Principles
Hassell Studio
Inner West Council
Inner West LGA, Sydney
Gadigal and Wangal Country
In response to two NSW Government housing reforms—the Transport Oriented Development Program and the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy—Inner West Council sought an alternative approach to meet housing targets while protecting the area’s significant heritage values.
This approach involved the preparation of precinct masterplans for two Housing Investigation Areas (HIAs): Ashfield–Croydon and Dulwich Hill–Marrickville.
GML was commissioned to work with Hassell Studio and Inner West Council to provide strategic heritage advice, including targeted investigations of 15 listed heritage items and six heritage conservation areas (HCAs), and guidance on how to sensitively integrate increased housing density in heritage contexts.
As part of Stream 1, a heritage health check found that many HCAs and heritage items had been impacted by dilapidation, neglect and unsympathetic changes—compromising the integrity of individual places and their historic settings. GML recommended the delisting or amendment of certain items, as well as changes to the boundaries of three HCAs.
For Stream 2, GML advised on designing for higher density in town centre environments—both within HCAs and in the vicinity of heritage items. This included identifying HCAs with capacity for increased density while retaining heritage significance and developing design principles to guide sensitive development—ensuring the Inner West’s historic character and distinctiveness are preserved as the area evolves.
GML was separately engaged by Inner West Council to undertake a merit review of five heritage items in South Dulwich Hill, to enable the findings to be integrated into the precinct masterplan.
Inner West Council’s alternative approach to new housing, the Fairer Future for the Inner West plan, has been released and is open for community feedback until 6 July 2025.
