FAQs

The Teralba Heritage Conservation Area is of local heritage significance for its historical, social and aesthetic heritage values. Teralba is one of the earliest railway and mining settlements in Lake Macquarie, and the conservation area is reflective of the key early industries that have historically characterised the development of individual townships within the Lake Macquarie local government area, including mining, the development of the railway, and the establishment and ongoing operation of small businesses intended to service local populations. The settlement is divided by the railway with each side of the suburb having its own distinct historical and visual importance.

In terms of aesthetic significance, the Conservation Area contains a number of both residential and commercial buildings that date from the early history of the town. Despite adverse impacts associated with the loss of many original/early buildings, more recent infill development and alterations and additions to original/early buildings throughout the township, Teralba has retained a sense of place and character that is clearly evidenced by pockets of intact building stock that date from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The reverence in which the suburb’s history is held by its local residents is demonstrative of the social significance of the place. Local residents have been active in compiling historical records relevant to the area, and the community’s investment in the suburb is reflected by their active involvement in responses to development applications that may further degrade the Conservation Area’s integrity.

The core study area for the review of the Teralba HCA is shown on the below map.

Lake Macquarie City Council received a grant from Heritage NSW to engage independent consultants to revise the sections of the Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan 2014 (LMLEP 2014) and Lake Macquarie Development Control Plan (DCP) 2014 (LM DCP 2014) that relate to the Teralba Heritage Conservation Area (HCA) and Teralba Heritage Precinct.

Umwelt Environmental and Social Consultants (Umwelt) were engaged and have prepared an interim Working Report and Building Assessments document.

Council is now inviting community feedback on the Working Report and Building Assessments document between the 11 February - 11 March 2021. 

The Working Report identifies a number of findings for the community and Council to consider. These include:

• Changes to the size of the HCA and the removal of the Heritage Precinct, which may mean your property’s heritage status could be altered
• Grading of your property as Contributory 1, Contributory 2 or Non-contributory, which could alter the development controls for your property
• Changes to development controls for the entire HCA, which could alter the development controls for your property.

Please refer to this map to see if your property is within the core study area which is the area that these proposals apply to. 

The Working Report presents the findings of a review of the Teralba HCA and Precinct by independent consultants.

The purpose of the review was to define the current heritage significance of Teralba HCA, produce a desired future character statement, assess the appropriateness of boundaries, examine the development control framework, identify what items contribute to or detract from the area, and develop new development controls for the HCA. 

Revised planning controls will be developed based on the findings and recommendations of the Working Report and consultation with the local community.

The Teralba Heritage Conservation Area (HCA) is one of three HCA’s in the City.  Council’s main strategic planning document (the Lake Macquarie Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS) highlights the need to review the Teralba Heritage Conservation Area to balance development and growth pressures with delivery of heritage conservation outcomes. Teralba is identified as a future growth area in the LSPS, with more intensive residential development envisaged to occur in and around the centre. Enabling growth and more intensive development in Teralba while conserving the important heritage of the area is a key challenge. 

Furthermore, the current statement of significance for the Teralba HCA, from the State Heritage Inventory (SHI) recognised the need for a review of the HCA boundary.

The proposed revision of the Teralba HCA will afford a greater degree of cohesive protection to the overall character and setting of the suburb while still enabling more intensive and higher density development provided that it is designed with regard for the heritage significance of the area, its streetscapes, and associated contributory elements. Revised planning controls will provide more detail to effectively mitigate development assessment issues currently being experienced in relation to the existing Development Control Plan (DCP) objectives and controls, which do not clearly articulate how the desired outcomes for the Teralba HCA can be delivered.

• It is not proposed to nominate any additional properties for individual heritage listing. Rather, properties of identified contributory value (graded Contributory 1 or 2 according to individual building assessments) are proposed to be included as contributory properties within the HCA. Appropriate objectives and controls for the management of these properties will be included within the revised Area Plan.
• It is proposed to amend the boundaries of the HCA to better reflect the spatial distribution of contributory properties (graded as Contributory 1 or 2), and to capture significant views and vistas that contribute to the setting, character and significance of the area.
• It is proposed to remove the Heritage Precinct in its entirety from the LM DCP 2014.
• It is proposed to reduce the height controls within the revised HCA boundary to better reflect and conserve the predominate scale and character of the area from which its identified significance is in part derived.

Visual inspections of buildings in the HCA and Heritage Precinct have been undertaken. No access onto properties or into buildings was organised for the visual inspection.  All inspections were undertaken from public areas (i.e. from the footpath areas/road reserves).

The individual properties have been assessed for the contribution they make to the heritage significance of the HCA as a whole, and given a grading on the basis of that contribution i.e. Contributory 1, Contributory 2 or Non-contributory. 

The research undertaken to date, as well as the results of this visual inspection, will inform the objectives and development controls for each category of building within the Teralba HCA.

Council received state funding from Heritage NSW to commission an independent review of the Teralba Heritage Conservation Area (HCA) and Precinct. Teralba has been identified as a future growth area and therefore balancing future growth while conserving the important heritage of the area is a key challenge.