The ACT Heritage Council provides the following conservation objective and policy elements for street furniture and utility services in heritage precincts in the ACT.

There are heritage guidelines for many registered heritage places in the ACT. This policy does not override those guidelines.

Advice on the design and installation of street furniture and utility services may be obtained from the ACT Heritage Unit or the ACT Heritage Advisory Service. Please contact the ACT Heritage Unit on 13 22 81.

Compliance with this policy does not remove any statutory obligation to obtain development consent for new work. Contact ACTPLA on 6207 1923 for advice on whether development consent is needed for proposed work.

Although this policy is not mandatory, it represents the best practice for heritage conservation, endorsed by the ACT Heritage Council, and it will be used by the Council when providing advice on proposed changes.

Conservation Objective

To identify and retain the original pattern and appearance of street furniture within the streetscape.

The street furniture may include fire hydrants, road lighting, street signs, seats and bus shelters which date back to the original period of development of the heritage precinct.

Policy Elements

The future for street furniture and specific impacts of changes to street furniture and utility services detailed below should be considered in the light of the following policies in heritage precincts:

1. Original street furniture should be retained and conserved in situ.
2. The design, scale and location of new street furniture and utility services should be sympathetic to the design of the original street furniture and utility services and streetscape character. This includes street signs, footpath lighting, fire hydrants, bus shelters, seating and other street furniture.
3. Alterations and additions to street furniture such as bus shelters should be sympathetic to the original architectural style of the street furniture.
4. Traffic signage should be kept to an essential minimum.
5. New street furniture or utility services should not require the removal or detrimental pruning of trees within verges and reserves.
6. New utility services should be incorporated along existing overhead routes or be routed underground in a manner that does not impact on built or major landscape elements.
7. Non-original existing installations of overhead utility services within verges or forward of average building lines should progressively be removed.

This policy was approved by the ACT Heritage Council 18 October 2012.