Heritage floor space scheme
Provides an incentive for the conservation and ongoing maintenance of historic buildings in central Sydney.
Our heritage floor space scheme provides funding to heritage building owners for conservation works in the public interest.
By completing conservation works, building owners can earn heritage floor space. This is intangible space that can be sold to developers required to purchase this virtual property as part of their development consent.
As conservation is an ongoing process, owners of historic buildings can re-apply for an award of heritage floor space every 25 years.
Eligibility criteria
The heritage building must:
- be located within the SP5 zone.
- be marked with * in schedule 5 of the City of Sydney’s Local Environmental Plan
- not have been awarded heritage floor space within the last 25 years.
- be conserved and well maintained.
How to apply
There are 2 ways to apply for the scheme. We can walk you through the process - feel free to call us. We’re even happy to meet with you.
The heritage building must achieve a good state of conservation and maintenance before heritage floor space is awarded, regardless of the application path you choose.
How heritage floor space is calculated
We calculate the amount of heritage floor space you can potentially earn using the following formula. The maximum amount of heritage floor space a building can earn is capped at 30,000m².
- Site area in m² occupied by the heritage building divided by 2
- Multiplied by the site’s maximum zoned floor space ratio*
To find out a building’s maximum floor space ratio, contact us.
Let’s look at an example
St James Church, built from 1819 to 1824, is the oldest church building in the City of Sydney.
- Land size: 1,508m².
- Building size: 970.5m²
- Zoned floor space ratio: 8:1.
St James Church’s heritage floor space would be calculated as follows:
- Site area in m² occupied by the heritage building divided by 2 970.5m² divided by 2 = 485.25
- Multiplied by the site’s maximum floor space ratio 485.25m² x 8 = 3,882m²
The average price for heritage floor space as at July 2024 is $2,032 a square metre.
St James’ Church heritage floor space could earn $7,888,224.
Alternative heritage floor space allocation schemePDF · 334.46 KB · Last modified
Heritage floor space update – September 2024PDF · 1.41 MB · Last modified
Recent awards, transfers and allocations of heritage floor space (HFS).
Interim heritage floor space update – November 2024PDF · 752.13 KB · Last modified
