Orange's heritage: Have your say

A review of the planning guidelines which protect heritage buildings and zones in Orange is recommending:

• an expansion of the city’s existing heritage zones
• the creation of three new heritage zones in areas which weren’t listed before
• adding an extra thirty-six individual houses to be added to list of the local heritage-listed homes.

Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said that it’s important for local residents to be aware of the proposed changes to Orange’s heritage conservation arrangements.

“Orange has a brilliant collection of heritage houses and this Heritage Study is part of the foundations of our local planning controls. These are the tools the community can use to make sure these homes and heritage zones are protected,” Cr Reg Kidd said.

“Our last heritage study was done in 2012, so it’s important that these tools are kept up to date.

“It’s also important that the community understand what they mean and how it could affect local properties. Now’s the time for people to have their say.”

The Heritage Study Review, was drafted after a range of submissions from the community along with members of the Council’s Cultural Heritage Committee and others who attended workshops last year.

The draft study has now been placed on exhibition for community comment.

The proposal also includes a change to the names of the current heritage conservation areas so that they can more clearly reflect local history.

No changes are recommended to the Lucknow and Spring Hill heritage conservation areas.

The proposed heritage conservation areas to be re-named and expanded would be:

• Dalton – the former central conservation area,
• East Orange heritage conservation area,
• Bowen – the former southern portion of the East Orange Area,
• an expanded Glenroi Duration Cottages heritage conservation area, and
• new heritage conservation areas for Newman Park, Blackmans Swamp and Bletchington.

The review also considered the topic of guidelines and controls for development in heritage areas. It was recommended that this matter requires updating in line with the general changes instituted by other Councils in NSW and that this should be a topic for a follow on study.

The review also recommends further investigation of a number of properties in the Huntley area, which have been nominated for local heritage listing.

The draft study is now on exhibition for community comment. The deadline for comment is Friday 31 July. The locations of the thirty six houses nominated to be added to the local heritage lists can also be found in the draft study.

Once the exhibition period has concluded and all the received submissions have been considered, a final report will be considered by Council. Once adopted, the recommendations within the heritage study review report will then be the subject of a planning proposal to amend the Local Environmental Plan 2011 to legislate the changes.

Orange City Council has this week written around 1800 letters to residents in the areas affected by the proposed changes.

Orange City Council is also planning to stage a drop-in information session when residents can ask their questions face to face. Council planning staff and the heritage consultants will host the session on Wednesday, 22 July 2020 from 9am to 12 noon in the theatre foyer at the Civic Theatre.

Dalton is the proposed new name for the former Central Heritage conservation area, with two minor extensions.

DALTON ZONE WESTERN SIDE: One extension is a series of properties on the western side of Woodward St, between Moulder and Kite Streets.

DALTON ZONE EASTERN SIDE: One extension is an area to the south-east corner, formed by four blocks of properties fronting Moulder Street, Lords Place, McNamara Street, Kite Street and Peisley Street.

The Dalton Heritage conservation area is based on the original “square mile” town layout in a grid pattern. This area includes a high concentration of sites of heritage significance and includes successive periods of infill development.

The Heritage conservation area has different characteristics for residential areas and the commercial centre.

Residential:

The central area of the city holds the highest number of the very earliest surviving buildings in the town. This includes churches, government buildings and large mansions from the Early and Mid-Victorian periods. Most of these buildings will be individually listed heritage items.

Smaller homes from this period are less likely to be heritage items and will be tucked into later infill areas, often because their larger lots were subdivided later.

Much of the housing stock in the Central Orange HCA is from that burst of development just after the turn of the century. The Federation Italianate predominates along the streets, with fewer examples of the Arts and Crafts and the Queen Anne styles mainly occupying corners. The level of continuity of housing from this period is what gives Orange a strong sense of unity and heritage character. There are numerous areas where rows of Federation Italianate are unbroken.

There is also a fairly high level of Interwar period bungalow infill housing in the earlier areas of the Central Orange HCA, and they have a greater concentration as you move to the outer areas of the square mile, particularly towards the west where they are almost uninterrupted along the street.

A surprising number of front fences and gardens retain their original style and reinforce the identity of the periods.

Central Business District

In the CBD the strong consistency of scale and harmony of styles evident in the early 20th century (from photographic records) has been progressively reduced. For example, ground floor shopfronts from the 1870s to 1920s have been replaced with post 1960s styles and some first storey façades have been covered with metal sheeting.

The Post Office precinct is the main commercial heritage group within the CBD. It includes the Post Office, the former Australian Joint Stock Bank, the Commonwealth Bank, Hotel Canobolas, the Royal Hotel and the former Dalton Bros stores. They provide a heritage focus for the CBD. This focus needs to be protected, but also to be supported by the rest of the CBD character.

Other scattered commercial and public heritage buildings that have been identified as having heritage significance contribute to the city’s heritage even though the commercial core has lost much character due to reconstruction in unrelated styles and materials and abrupt changes in scale over a number of years.

The Bletchington Heritage conservation area is a new area that is an extension north from the Dalton HCA. This includes an area north of Prince Street and is predominantly a projection of the eastern half of the Dalton HCA towards the north focussed on the area between Hill and Peisley Streets.

BLETCHINGTON ZONE: Bletchington is a new heritage conservation area, consisting of properties north of Prince Street, up to Margaret Street, primarily between Clinton and Peisley Streets.

Prince Street north has several excellent examples of important mid-Victorian Italianate residences and some that need some work to bring out their best. There are also several excellent examples of Federation Italianate cottages, many Interwar bungalows and some late 20^th C residences.

It has very few post-war residences.

The entire area north of Dalton Street was granted to Simeon Lord, and this estate was not subdivided until the “Bletchington Estate” was released in a fairly consistent and slow release method spanning mainly from 1910 until the mid-1950s.

Thomas Dalton sold less than 5 blocks in a small subdivision around Thomas Street in the 1890s, but it was his 2nd wife who established the major subdivision of the area in 1909.

As such the Bletchington Estate started to develop in that boom time after 1905 and the area of the HCA had largely filled in by the end of the Interwar period in 1945.

There are a few Federation Italianate buildings spread out in the HCA. By far the most prominent period of buildings are from the Interwar period, as Californian Bungalows.

Unlike the other HCAs, which have an irregular extent of infill across their areas, the Bletchington HCA is a bit like a patchwork quilt, reflecting the piece by piece way the land was purchased in a series of mini-estates.

This seems driven mainly by the desire to live in areas already settled by others. There are pockets with a run of Federation period houses in Anson Street, Lords Place and Dalton Street. This indicates that Anson Street and Lords Place must have been extended as the first roads through the new estate.

The proposed Blackmans Swamp Heritage conservation area is the southern extension from the Orange Central HCA.

BLACKMANS SWAMP: A new heritage conservation area, it is centred on the green reserves and park spaces in the vicinity of National Avenue and Warrendine Street, between Woodward Street and Peisley Street. In the southeast corner, it extends to the rear of properties located on the south side of Franklin Road.

This area was not an estate that was released, but includes the areas south of Moulder Street that were included in the original square mile but have previously been excluded from the HCA.

The new HCA will incorporate the southern side of Moulder St, and National Avenue, along with the numerous areas of public recreation to the south of the town.

Moulder Street has numerous Interwar bungalows and develops to much earlier Federation Italianate and even late Victorian cottages around the crossing with Hill Street. It has some larger commercial buildings to the east end and becomes more modern at the far west end.

It also extends further south on the eastern end to pick up the surrounds of the numerous heritage items along Lords Place and Franklin Road.

There are several impressive Federation Italianate residences on the way up the hill along with Interwar bungalows. There are more later houses, especially post-war in this HCA, but it is also an important historic area with many early residences.

This area was called the 'South East Heritage conservation area' in the 1986 Heritage Study, and the 'Glenroi Heritage conservation area'. It is now proposed to limit the Glenroi Duration Cottages HCA to the suburb of Glenroi to the east of East Orange Creek, as this area has a different history to the area of East Orange.

EAST ORANGE: The northern portion of this existing heritage conservation area is bounded by Endsleigh Avenue, Kite Street and McLachlan Street, and is currently the Glenroi Heritage conservation area. The extension encompasses the southern portion of Endsleigh Avenue, Churchill Avenue and the properties on the eastern side of McLachlan Street.

The area to the west of East Orange Creek, east of the railway, north of the former Electrolux factory, and south of the highway is now called the “East Orange HCA”.

It is separated from Bowen HCA by the highway, but also because it hasn’t the old civic function that Bowen has, and East Orange is far more associated with the industrial history of Orange.

This area, centred on Edward and McLachlan Streets, is predominantly residential, with many older buildings stretching back to mid-Victorian terraces such as Lamrock Terrace associated with the railway station and other various industries, impressive Victorian Italianate residences (both symmetrical and asymmetrical), turn-of-the-century Federation Italianate cottages mainly in the north but scattered also further south, along with a good representation of Interwar bungalows, cottages and later development.

While the railway line is now seen as a barrier between the east and west of the city, it was clearly seen as a connecting piece in the days before cars, and this side of the tracks developed alongside the main city.

Some industrial uses intermingle with the residential areas, and this has always been the case for this part of the city. The older, smaller houses and single storey terraces provide a good example of ‘worker’s housing’ associated with industry.

The housing is sited directly opposite former employment locations on the railway, wool stores and flour mill. Highway development stretching south is a main threat to the area along with the replacement of older buildings with new housing.

A proposed new heritage zone is located in an area within walking distance of Newman Park in East Orange.

NEWMAN PARK: A proposed new heritage conservation area is located north of East Orange, located between McLachlan Street, Dalton Street and Spring Street.

Newman Park was proclaimed in 1899 as part of the green space in the new East Orange municipality. Bylaws were gazetted in 1901. East Orange was proclaimed a town in 1885, and iot includes the East Orange HCA, the Bowen HCA and the Newman Park HCA.

The East Orange Municipality was merged with Orange in 1912. Newman Park is separated from Bowen by the East Orange Creek stormwater channel.

While the Newman Park HCA is not centred on Newman Park, it is an area that is within walking distance to the park.

Being a little further away from the railway and the industrial areas of the Victorian period it is a more residential area with some substantial houses.

This area developed from the turn of the century and has good examples of Federation Italianate, and some late Victorian Italianate and Rustic Gothic houses along with several small Victorian era vernacular cottages.

It includes “Buena Vista”, the local architect John Hale’s private residence, which has lost some of its detailing.

It also has the East Orange Public School with an 1889 building. There are numerous Interwar bungalows and a good mix of post-war and late 20th century. This HCA picks up the development of the east end of Byng and March Streets.

This side of the railway is generally more mixed, with numerous styles interwoven instead of runs of similar styles. There is also more of a mix between brick and weatherboard, and large and small houses.

Previously known as the 'East Orange Heritage conservation area', we have renamed this area the 'Bowen Heritage conservation area' after the suburb name and its famous forebear.

BOWEN ZONE: This heritage conservation area remains unchanged from the portion located north-east of Bathurst Road and centred on Dora and Summer Streets. The name changes from East Orange to Bowen in order to distinguish it from the area on the south side of Bathurst Road.

The Bowen heritage conservation (HCA) zone is centred around the small nucleus of the former Municipal Council Chambers, Post Office, former Band Hall, and shops of the Dora, Summer and McLachlan Street intersection.

The area is predominantly residential with small corner shops, some of which remain in operation.

The buildings in Bowen are a diverse mix of mainly modest brick and timber weatherboard houses, terraces and local shops from the Late Victorian and Federation period with Interwar and later housing interspersed.

A few fine Federation Italianate houses remain in McLachlan and William streets, especially to the south end while the north stretches to more Interwar and weatherboard housing. while a fine set of four Victorian single brick terraces exist in Autumn Street with houses from the same period opposite.

On the southern boundary of the Bowen HCA is the grand two storey Bowen Terrace of 1876, which provides an impressive entry to the town centre.

Some timber houses from the end of the 19th century with original details are still evident in Bowen.

Since the 1986 heritage study was prepared several Victorian timber houses have been lost to new housing developments. Orange City Council: Heritage conservation area review 2019-20 24 David Scobie Architects with Adaptive Architects Corner shops are a characteristic of the East Orange area with Mackies Store a notable example.

With the diversity of brick, timber and corrugated iron clad buildings the area contrasts in character with the consistency of the period brick houses in the Central Orange HCA. This diversity provides the area’s character and affords broader options for material selection in new development.

The proposed Duration Cottage zone includes some changes to previous arrangements in East Orange.

DURATION COTTAGES: The area remains similar to the current listing, with two small extensions, to include Church property on Glenroi Avenue at the Churchill Avenue corner, and an extension south to include properties and the streetscape on Amber Street.

During the Second World War Orange was involved in the war effort through the production of munitions.

The Small Arms Factory was built for this purpose, and would become the Emco factory after the war.

Munitions workers were housed in what was called 'Duration Cottages' throughout the war.

After the war, these cottages remained in government ownership and were rented to workers. This association with the war effort, with industry, and the social element of government housing for its workers is what makes the area historically significant.

In 1953 the Glenroi Community Advancement Co-operative Society was formed and took ownership of all the cottages.

The purpose of this society was to make the housing available for sale to the occupants.

Unfortunately, by 1959 the Society went into liquidation.

The housing in this area remains close to the character of the original duration cottages. All of them are small fibro clad cottages with brick chimneys and little architectural styling. They are the forerunners of, but distinct from, the later Housing Commission residences both in east Glenroi and in north Orange.

The following houses have been reviewed, assessed and nominated for listing on Schedule 5 of the Orange Local Environmental Plan (LEP).

They have been either nominated during the study period, revealed in the period since the previous study and/or revealed during the fieldwork associated with the tasks.

• 117 Sampson Street
• 49 Prince Street
• 139 Margaret Street
• 110 Matthews Avenue 125 Prince Street
• 125 Dalton Street
• 112 Dalton Street
• 121 Gardiner Road
• 123 Gardiner Road
• 102 Gardiner Road
• 104 Gardiner Road
• 106 Gardiner Road
• 108 Gardiner Road
• 21 Spring Street
• 23 Spring Street
• 25 Spring Street
• 105 Spring Street
• 5 Hawkins Lane
• 7 Hawkins Lane
• 9 Hawkins Lane
• 11 Hawkins Lane
• 3 Hawkins Lane
• 6 Hawkins Lane
• 4 Hawkins Lane
• 2 Hawkins Lane
• 20 Nile Street
• 22 Nile Street
• 24 Nile Street
• 26 Nile Street

The following places are located in Huntley.

They are outlined in Red on the map and have been nominated based on general community knowledge and local history.

Many are distant from the public road and therefore the materials, details and condition are not evident. These properties have been nominated based on this limited information.

A more detailed site inspection is required to assess the significance out of courtesy to the site owners.

This will be carried out by appointment and arranged in the forthcoming period following the initial report. A further detailed heritage assessment of their significance will then be provided.

• 15 Capps Lane, Huntley
• 1 Capps Lane, Huntley
• 38 Kinghorn Lane, Huntley
• 23 Blunt Road, Huntley
• ‘Waverton’, 76 Blunt Road, Huntley
• ‘Homeleigh’, 359 Phoenix Mine Road, Huntley
• Farm shed, ‘Kymrock’, 47 Cully Road
• ‘Yanina’, 1050 Huntley Road, Huntley