3 - Special Character Areas
Special Character Areas
Hillside Estate Special Character Area
This land was acquired by the firm of John Bridge Ltd who engaged land surveyors Lockie, Gannon, Worley and Campbell to design this subdivision, with its distinctive curvilinear layout. The survey is dated 12 March 1929, but John Bridge’s bankruptcy prevented its sale by the firm. Lionel Bridge, principal of John Bridge Ltd had a policy of naming estates by themes; this one was named for Australian explorers - Flinders, Bass, Hume, Oxley, Mitchell and Mawson. A 1930 aerial photograph shows that the streets had been formed, but the land was not put to auction, and when the Housing Commission acquired the estate in 1945 no further development had occurred.
The Housing Commission retained the road layout and the pattern of open space and drainage, but redesigned the allotments to increase the width and to allow houses to be designed to face the corners. This substantially reduced the number of lots, in the block bounded by Oxley, Hume, Mitchell and Stevens Streets, the original design had 24 lots while the Housing Commission development has 18 lots.
The Housing Commission developed the estate with a variety of double-fronted and triple-fronted single storey brick houses with hipped or gabled roofs. The majority of houses have light tan or brown mottled bricks. Some houses have common bricks or mottled cream bricks, some of which have been painted or rendered.
Originally the allotments had low arris rail fences painted white. Most properties have no front fences while a few properties have low, open metal fences.
The open space and pathway/drainage system has been grassed but remains open with few plantings.
Some houses have been divided into two single person units for older people with minor changes to insert a second front door with a protective brick screen, while maintaining the architectural character of the building.
Character of the area
This estate has characteristics in common with other Housing Commission estates in the City of Parramatta: the siting and types of houses, gardens merging with grass verges (with few front fences), and the predominance of tan and brown mottled bricks. It is outstanding for its combination of straight and curvilinear roads that, together with the siting of houses, the natural slope of the land and the absence of major changes, give the area a distinctive character.
- Natural slope of the land to south and east
- Straight and curvilinear pattern of roads, named after Australian explorers
- Combined open space and drainage and walkway system
- Siting and design of houses, with a variety of high quality face bricks - mostly mottled in tan and brown, with a few cream mottled bricks, painted brick work or rendered brick work
- absence of major changes to the external appearance of houses
- wide setbacks from side boundaries with space for trees and driveways to rear garages
- Open front gardens, without front fences, which merge with the wide grass verges
- Mature trees and shrubs from the early decades of development
- Views from the street and houses to the south and east
- Some original arris rail timber fences, and some early hedges
Approach to Planning Controls
This plan is directed towards keeping the character of this area and its houses, especially when viewed from the streets. The area is remarkable for the intactness of the houses, all of which should be retained. The aim is to keep the character of the houses, their open front gardens and the character of the streets. The practice of siting carports at the rear or side of houses, with garages at the rear, is encouraged. Additions to increase accommodation are allowed at the back of houses provided the original character of the building and its appearance from the street is retained. Additions that change the original roof form and the architectural character of the building are not considered to be consistent with the existing character of the area.
1. General objectives
- Keep the major attributes that contribute to the character of the area
- Maintain and improve residential amenity
- Maintain and improve open space areas
2. Specific objectives and controls
2.1 Landform/natural characteristics
- Maintain the shape of the natural landform
Avoid:
- High retaining walls and changes of land produced by cut and fill
2.2 Subdivision pattern
- Maintain the existing subdivision pattern of roads, allotments, open space drainage and access
Keep:
- Existing pattern of subdivision
Avoid:
- amalgamation of allotments
- Subdivision across the allotment
2.3 Existing buildings
- Maintain existing buildings and their architectural character
Keep:
- all the original houses that individually or together contribute to an understanding of the history and character of the area
- The original character of the front of the house
Avoid:
- Painting, rendering or re-skinning of brick work
- Extra rooms above the main body of the house which require alteration of existing roof space. Rooms within the existing roof space can be considered but only where they are ventilated by flat in plane skylights
- Dormer windows or mansard roofs in the existing roof space
Additional Dwelling:
- Existing houses may be divided into two small dwellings provided the architectural character of the building is maintained and the original design of the house is clearly apparent when viewed from the street
2.4 Additions to existing dwellings
- Maintain the visual importance of the original houses
Keep:
- Use of face bricks that match the existing house
Avoid:
- Textured bricks in light colours
- additions at the front or side of houses which reduce the setback from front and side boundaries
- additions at the rear of an existing house which include rooms in the roof may be considered provided they do not change the architectural character of the house as viewed from the street
- additions higher than the ridgeline of the existing house by more than 1m
2.5 Garages and carports
- Maintain uncluttered space between building line and front boundary as an important part of street character
- Keep garages and carports as secondary utilitarian buildings
- Maintain the established pattern of one opening per allotment for single car access
Keep and Repeat:
- back garden placement of garages, carports and other utility buildings separate and detached from the main building
- Carports can be constructed at the side or rear of the house, but no further forward than the adjoining wall of the house
Avoid:
- Driveways of concrete or other hard surfacing in excess of 2.6 m in width. Wheel tracks with central grass/planting are preferred to fully paved driveway space
- Garages which compete with scale of house
- Unnecessary architectural details
2.6 Siting, setbacks and garden area
- Maintain the pattern of development of individual buildings on separate parcels of land surrounded by garden space
- Maintain amenity and privacy of back garden space
Keep:
- Side driveway access for cars to rear garden garage/carport
- Mature trees and shrubs
2.7 Fences
- Retain the open character of front gardens, without front fences
Keep:
- The open landscape character of the front garden
- Gardens without front fences
- Consider re-instatement of low timber rail fences, which were original to some lots
- Timber paling fences to side and rear boundaries
Avoid:
- High privacy fences
- Fences may be considered in Kissing Point Road provided they allow views into gardens and are made of materials such as timber and wire mesh that are suitable as a frame for plants
- Modern metal cladding fences at side and rear boundaries
2.8 Street trees
- Maintain existing street trees
- Consider additional street trees where there is no street tree planting
