NRS-13429 | Height of building plans and drawings

Full description

These are plans and drawings of buildings submitted for approval in accordance with legislation limiting the height of buildings. Plans were required to be submitted prior to construction, rebuilding or alteration for buildings which exceeded the height specified by the legislation at that date. The plans and drawings in this series were those which were too large to attach to the relevant file. 

The requirement to limit the height of buildings and to certify tall buildings originated with the Height of Buildings (Metropolitan Police District) Act, 1912 (Act No. 58, 1912). From 1952, under the Height of Buildings (Amendment) Act 1952 (Act No. 3, 1952), buildings were not '...to be erected to a height of a greater height than eighty feet unless the skyline and the plans of such buildings have been approved by the Minister'. These provisions also applied to any buildings '...rebuilt, reconstructed or increased to a height of more than eighty feet' which had to have plans approved by the Minister. The maximum height permitted under the Act for any building was 150 feet. The 1952 legislation covered the City of Sydney, including Sydney suburbs, extending to Newcastle and to any other areas proclaimed under the Act. 

The Height of Buildings (Amendment) Act, 1957 (Act No. 12, 1957) removed the maximum height restriction of 150 feet based on certain conditions being met. The legislation also provided for appointment of a Height of Buildings Advisory Committee which made recommendations to the Minister about skylines, plans and related height of building matters. From 1967 under the Height of Buildings (Amendment) Act, 1967 (Act No. 47, 1967), the Height of Building Advisory Committee reported via the State Planning Authority.

By 1952, responsibilities were shared between the Government Architect for approval outside Sydney city and certification from the New South Wales Fire Commissioners and the Chief Secretary for buildings in the city. When the specific height restriction was lifted, the approval of tall buildings became part of the overall building development process.

The records include a variety of plans and drawings, most commonly: air conditioning and mechanical ventilation plans; building alteration plans; architectural drawings; car parking plans; fire services drawings including sprinklers, hydrants and hose reels; floor plans; partitioning plans; preliminary sketch plans; and 'working drawings'.

The plans are described by the 'H' number for the application, area or suburb in which the building was located, street name, applicant's name  [if known], architect or engineer who compiled the plans or drawings, and the date of the plans/receipt of the plans. Most sets of plans have been allocated a single date, taken from the group of plans, however, individual plans may have a range of dates, and some are not dated. Plans include buildings in the following areas: Sydney City; North Sydney; Ashfield; Auburn; Bankstown; Botany; Concord; Hurstville; Kuringai; Leichhardt; Lane Cove; Manly; Mosman; Parramatta; Penrith; Randwick; Ryde; Rockdale; South Sydney; Strathfield; Sutherland; Thornleigh; Warringah; Waverly; Willoughby; and Woollahra.  Country areas covered are: Newcastle; Tamworth; and Woollongong.

Groups of plans submitted for aspects of individual buildings or developments were allocated a single number with an  'H' prefix. There may be more than one group of plans for a specific building or development. The plans have been renumbered as Plans 10500-58041 for control and retrieval purposes.

Copyright notice
Some of the plans in this series are non-Crown copyright material. Requests to copy plans should be directed to the controlling agency. Contact us for further assistance.