Appendix

4 - Appendix

Neighbourhood Character Areas

Traditional residential development patterns of detached houses are a distinguishing feature of the identity of suburban areas of Parramatta LGA. The setback, landscaping, overall form, proportion, materials and detailing of the buildings contributes towards the character of residential neighbourhoods.

Although the housing and landscaping forms and styles vary from street to street and even within each block, recurrent themes have been identified to enable the design of new residential development to fit more sympathetically with the existing local context.

As new housing development takes place, it should not simply mimic the decorative, surface features of past styles, nor restrict freedom of expression of individual householders, but rather should broadly continue the themes, forms and patterns that have helped to establish the character of the locality. By understanding the overall form, proportion and colour range that makes the existing character, it is possible, and indeed desirable, to interpret them in contemporary design.

Four housing character types have been identified, and their characteristics described. A map showing the location of housing character types is included. The housing character types primarily serve as a guide, because within these types there is variation, and because in most suburbs there is a mix of types. The character descriptions are intended to be used to help a development proponent and the community identify the features of housing character type(s) prevalent in proximity to a development proposal and provide guidance on compatible design themes.

TYPE 1 Fibro/Weatherboard, Brick Cottages

These buildings generally occur within a grid street pattern on relatively flat or gently sloping land with small to medium rectilinear lots, prevalent in:

  • Guildford
  • Merrylands
  • Granville
  • Rydalmere
  • Ermington

Variations along curvilinear streets and/or sloping sites, larger blocks are prevalent in:

  • Ermington
  • Rydalmere
  • Pendle Hill
  • Toongabbie
  • Wentworthville
Building frontage and setback
  • Building design is to enhance the existing built character by translating into contemporary design solutions the themes found in the neighbourhood regarding:
    • the building setback and landscape character of the street frontage
    • front fences are low and transparent, sympathetic with the prevailing materials and detailing of surrounding properties
  • Street setback similar to neighbouring buildings
  • Low front fences (usually a mixture; occasionally consistent use of one of the following):
    • brick, with piers and capping, 300–750 high
    • picket
    • wire mesh with steel, timber or brick posts
    • low hedges and shrubs
    • embankments or retaining walls of low brick, random rubble or stone
  • Side setback is generally wider on one side (three metres) providing regular gaps between houses
Massing
  • The massing, i.e. the arrangement of the building bulk and articulation of building parts
  • Low, simple forms, divided mostly into two and occasionally three bays, with simple entry feature/recess usually in the longer, setback bay
  • Base of the buildings is usually expressed by brick base up to floor structure and lightweight cladding above or corbelled course in brickwork
Performance Criteria Design Solutions and Controls
Roofs
  • The roof shape, pitch and overhangs
  • Roofs are the most consistent elements characterised by:
    • single, pitched and hipped roofs, with minimum articulation given by a return hip facing the street above projecting bay
    • generally, small (approximately 450 mm) roof eaves overhang
    • flat or skillion roof over entry feature and rear utility areas, verandahs and extensions
Entries
  • Entry porches, verandahs, balconies and terraces. A variety of entries characterised by:
    • steps to small porch, within front door recess
    • small flat concrete roof over projecting entry porch
    • steps to verandah with screen feature panel, railing, skillion roof or pergola
    • verandah wrapping around front and side of the longer, recessed bay
Car parking, access and garages
  • Form, materials and detailing of car parking structures should be consistent with the associated building, preferably at rear, with rear lane or side driveway access.
  • Car park entry or garage to be setback beyond the building line from the street to reduce its visual dominance, and to reinforce building articulation along street frontage.
  • Garage entries to be no more than one-third of building frontage width.
Windows and doors
  • Regular pattern of rectilinear openings surrounded by solid walling in each bay.
  • Variety of window and door types, ranging from vertical proportioned to almost square, horizontal proportion — divided by millions or into vertical panels
Materials, finishes and details
  • Materials finishes, fixtures, patterns, colours and detailing. There is a wide, yet restricted palette range:
    • red/brown brick, pale–pastel coloured painted, rendered masonry, cement fibro or weatherboard cladding
    • terracotta roof tiles, red-brown prevalent
    • eaves and soffit lined, pale pastel colour painted finish
    • timber or aluminium window framing - sections feature or contrasting colour to wall and to glass, to highlight division of glazing into panels
    • minimum or no decorative features, e.g. vertical timber screen at entry, wrought iron balustrading around entry porch and stair

TYPE 2: Federation Houses and Californian Bungalows

These building types generally occur on small to medium/large rectilinear lots within a grid street pattern on flat or gently sloping land. Front fences are generally low brick and pier, transparent, such as picket fencing, or retaining walls.

This housing type is characteristic in:

  • Epping
  • Eastwood

It occurs in smaller groupings in:

  • Ermington
  • Merrylands/Guildford
  • Granville
  • Pendle Hill
  • Wentworthville
Building frontage and setback
  • Building design is to enhance the existing built character by translating into contemporary design solutions the themes found in the neighbourhood regarding:
    • the building setback and landscape character of the street frontage
    • front fences are low and transparent, sympathetic with the prevailing materials and detailing of surrounding properties
    • Buildings parallel to street similar frontage to neighbouring buildings
    • Low front fences — brick with capping course and piers — same colour as building with timber or metal rail, or timber paling, low retaining walls
    • Open lawn with ornamental flowering shrubs and specimen trees — palms, pencil pines, bound canopied flowering trees
    • Side setback is generally wider on one side — three metres — providing regular gaps between houses.
Massing
  • The massing, i.e. the arrangement of the building bulk and articulation of building parts. Articulated built form, divided into bays along frontage, one bay with front verandah or projecting bay with feature window
  • Regular pattern formed by building width, spacing and stepped facade
  • Ground floor slightly raised
Criteria Design Solutions and Controls
Roofs
  • The roof shape, pitch and overhangs, composite steeply pitched hipped roof with one or two gables towards street, wide, varied overhands
  • Regular sequence of gables along street
Entries and verandahs
  • Entry porches, verandahs, balconies and terraces - generous width verandah gabled or flat roofed, front of one or both bays of frontage, part of rhythm of repeated forms along street frontage
  • Solid masonry base and balustrade, and decorative column above
Car parking, access and garages
  • Form, materials and detailing of car parking structures should be consistent with the associated building
  • Car parking at rear or setback far beyond building line
  • Garage gable ended roof and similar roof pitch as the house
Windows and doors
  • Windows and doors — location and proportion - projecting, solid bay has central feature window with horizontal projection, divided into three or more vertical panels and highlights
  • Window treatment varies from house to house with a consistent building massing giving individuality, e.g. project beyond facade, hoods over bay windows, varying mullion arrangement, use of leadlight
Materials, finishes and details
  • Materials finishes, fixtures, patterns, colours and detailing
  • Dark brick walls, darker brick varied bonding pattern decorative banding or trim
  • Recessed panelling with gable roof tile or slate roof
  • Timber or masonry feature columns on verandah, and window framing contrasts with masonry to provide decorative relief and richness in detail

TYPE 3: Wide Frontage Ranch-Style Houses

These buildings generally occur on medium to medium/large lots within a curvilinear street pattern with streets winding along contours connected by steeper side streets.

Culs-de-sac are common, often leading towards an open space system along a valley or ridge. The diversity of building forms, roof shapes, window and entry styles, and the palette of materials is much wider, reflecting the expansion of building technologies through the 1960s and 70s. Unity is provided by the horizontal massing, the front lawn and landscape, and the fashion of the times, such as the popularity of red texture bricks and cream/yellow-ochre bricks in some areas.

Boundary definition between the properties and the street is absent, or very subtly achieved through level changes, such as embankments or low retaining walls and planting. This form of housing is prevalent in:

  • Dundas
  • Dundas Valley
  • Eastwood
  • Oatlands
  • Wentworthville
  • Toongabbie
  • Pendle Hill
  • Winston Hills
Building frontage and setback
  • Building design is to enhance the existing built character by translating into contemporary design solutions the themes found in the neighbourhood regarding:
    • the building setback and landscape character of the street frontage
    • front fences are low and transparent, sympathetic with the prevailing materials and detailing of surrounding properties
  • Setback from the street is similar to neighbouring buildings
  • No front fence; boundary definition, if any, is achieved by shrubs, embankments or low, stone retaining walls
  • Lawns extend from entry to the kerb.
  • Mixed species of shrubs and trees — eucalyptus, ornamental shrubs and flower beds are prevalent
  • Garages are often integrated within the main building, therefore, the wider setback on one side prevalent in earlier housing forms is not common
Massing
  • The massing, i.e. the arrangement of the building bulk and articulation of building parts
  • Double or triple fronted houses
  • The low, horizontal lines of the frontage width is accentuated by one or more of the following measures: eaves overhang, verandahs extending along frontage, garage or carport integrated with building
Performance Criteria Design Solutions and Controls
Entries
  • Entry porches, verandahs, balconies and terraces
  • Houses open towards and overlook the street
  • Entries are expressed by one or more of the following:
    • front verandah, i.e. roof overhang continues with the main roof, generous facia, verandah posts widely spaced
    • entry porch and pergola
    • recessed front door with feature glass panelling above and to one or both sides of the door
    • if verandah or entry porch is raised, wrought iron balustrading is provided
    • base of verandah or porch may be lined and paved with special feature material
Car parking, access and garages
  • Form, materials and detailing of car parking structures should be consistent with the associated building
  • Garages or carports are integrated with the main building by:
    • split level arrangement, with garage at lower level to one side of the house
    • main roof, or pergola/verandah roof extends over garage/carport emphasising horizontality
Roofs
  • The roof shape, pitch and overhangs
  • Roofs are the most consistent elements characterised by:
    • simple low pitched roofs
    • ridge parallel with the street, gable ended, occasionally, a feature gable faces the street
    • wide eaves or verandah along front
Car parking, access and garages
  • Garage doors, roller door or tilt panels with colour to match other details, trims, doors or window frames
  • Driveways paved as part of entry feature paving
  • Edges of driveways and paths are often landscaped with flower beds and shrubs
Windows and doors
  • Windows and doors — location and proportion
  • Windows divide the predominantly horizontal wall surfaces into vertical bays
  • Windows and doors accentuate horizontality by a number of means:
    • windows extend to underside of eaves
    • horizontally proportioned windows divided into vertical and horizontal panels
    • corner windows feature, giving greater emphasis to the eaves overhang
Materials, finishes and details
  • Materials finishes, fixtures, patterns, colours and detailing
  • There is a wide palette of materials and finishes, within which, certain themes dominate each area and include:
    • red texture brick, cream or yellow brick walls, timber or CFC feature panelling. The base of the building, up to floor slab, occasionally expressed with sandstone cladding
    • concrete, terracotta and occasionally ribbed or corrugated sheet roofing; grey, dark brown/red predominate, horizontal timber panelling of gable ends
    • timber or aluminium window frames, usually white or natural finish
    • minimum decorative features painted light colour to match window frames and other trims
    • wrought iron rails or balustrades
    • cast iron or timber verandah columns

TYPE 4: Closely Spaced Cottages, Semi and Terraces

This building type predominantly occurs on small lots with a rectilinear or distorted grid street pattern on gently slopping or near-flat land, prevalent in:

  • Granville, north of William Street
  • Merrylands
  • South Parramatta

Buildings are closely spaced; setback from the street is usually less than five metres. Buildings adjoin, as semis, or side setbacks are minimal (900 mm). Wider side setback for car access to the rear is not always provided.

Building frontage and setback
  • Building design is to enhance the existing built character by translating into contemporary design solutions the themes found in the neighbourhood regarding:
    • the building setback and landscape character of the street frontage
    • front fences are low and transparent, sympathetic with the prevailing materials and detailing of surrounding properties
  • Setback from the street is similar to neighbouring buildings (usually five metres or less)
  • Low to medium height (1-2 metres), see-through front fence, similar to neighbouring buildings such as timber picket fence, low brick fence with piers and timber rails, wrought iron or cast iron fences
  • Paving in front gardens is kept to a minimum, to pathway and driveway only, and soft landscape is provided utilising lawn, flower beds, ornamental shrubs and small trees
  • Minimum side setbacks (900 mm) and zero setbacks are common
Massing
  • The massing, i.e. the arrangement of the building bulk and articulation of building parts
  • Simple form, parallel to the street, projections and articulation is more common at the rear of the building
  • Ground floor is often elevated slightly
  • Consistent rhythm of dwelling width and spacing
  • Articulation provided by party walls, double frontage and verandahs, feature gable above entry porches or above verandahs
Roofs
  • The roof shape, pitch and overhangs
  • Simple steep primary roof, usually hipped in semis. In attached row housing and semis, ridge is usually parallel to the street
  • Articulation provided by gables in part of roof facing street and occasionally by chimneys. This form of articulation can be used to provide a sympathetic relationship between two storey infill and existing single storey buildings
  • Dormer windows to attic rooms may be allowed, if they reflect the scale and form prevalent in this type of building
Entries
  • Entry porches, verandahs, balconies and terraces
  • Houses open to and overlook the street
  • Continuous verandahs along front, verandah roof lower and usually shallower pitch than primary roof
  • Entry given emphasis with gable or portico
Car parking, access and garages
  • Form, materials and detailing of car parking structures should be consistent with the associated building
  • Car park or garages are setback beyond the building line.
  • Access drive, or new lane, to carports or garages at the rear, is preferred.
Windows and doors
  • Windows and doors — location and proportion
  • Opening with vertical proportions are arranged in a symmetrical pattern within verandah bays. Front doors are given visual prominence with high lights and side lights and are sometimes recessed
  • Vertical proportion or bay windows, symmetrically placed beneath gable divided into vertical panels and highlights
Materials, finishes and details
  • Materials finishes, fixtures, patterns, colours and detailing
  • Walls similar with neighbouring buildings, usually dark brick or rendered masonry with decorative banding and trims
  • Roofs compatible with tile or slate gable ends panelled and recessed
  • Verandahs have timber posts, may provide brick base, up to balustrade height, timber frieze

Map 16: Building Types (App. 4)

PDF download Map 16: Building Types (App. 4) (448kb)