Heritage is a verb

C’mon all ye “heritagers,” fellow travellers and those seeking change. Here we are in the midst of one of the worst housing crises in Sydney and environs and there is a view out there that somehow, heritage is to blame. What rot. Why not adopt the view that heritage and new housing  can cooperate? In other words, urban designers, councils and housing providers need get together and attempt to rationalise things.  It should not be an us and them type thing. We need a state-sponsored public inquiry, possibly hosted by the Department of Planning and Environment.

How could the system be rationalised? By appointing a panel of appropriate professionals to conclave on the issues and come up with some hard and fast approaches. I have no doubt that the Dept. of Planning and Environment has already turned its mind to the housing crisis. Housing suppliers have too. Where are we going to put the growing number of people in need of housing, and how are we simultaneously going to protect our most valued cultural built assets?

Personally, I see no conflict. What needs to happen is that guidelines need to be set for heritage decision-makers at all levels of government (local, state and LEC). These decision-makers need to be shown the hundreds of clever heritage solutions to similar housing problems that have evolved overseas, in Europe, South and North America.

Heritage decision-makers need to lighten up, relax and be calm. There are always solutions. As professionals, we need to assume that all heritage buildings can be modified – hopefully with skill, professionalism and design excellence. A whole new code needs to be drawn up. The previous NSW Government Architect Peter Poulet did just that when he wrote Better Placed: Design Guide for Heritage. However, in my opinion, that document does not go far enough. In England, they have produced the National Planning Policy Framework, 2012 version, specifically to help heritage decision-makers in government make well-balanced decisions and not be frightened of innovation near heritage. They need to learn how to incorporate the two.

In NSW, I believe that we are too conservative and precious about our heritage buildings. Adaptive reuse is our motto. Heritage is a verb (a living, moving, transforming thing). Apart from the City of Sydney, few Councils have design excellence incentives to encourage innovative contemporary solutions to this. If there were such incentives, then the housing crisis could be partially relieved. If this were to be successful over the next ten to fifteen years, heritage might be able to get its good name back again.