Brisbane has a unique style of character homes that in most cases are now located in a demolition control precinct. This means that a lot of older homes cannot be demolished or removed from their site.
Newstead House is the oldest existing house in Brisbane, according to council records, and this was built in 1846. Cottages from the colonial period can be seen in the inner suburbs of Petrie Terrace and Spring Hill and 19th Century housing occupies some areas within Paddington, Red Hill, Highgate Hill and East Brisbane.
The Federation-era then saw the construction of masonry homes as well as larger decorative timber homes in suburbs including Clayfield, Ascot, Hawthorne and Graceville.
However, the most typical style of home that is now located within the boundaries of a demolition control precinct is the classic Queenslander, which is characterised by the porch and gable style of home made from timber and tin.
Brisbane city council provides online planning tools via their website to help businesses and individuals to determine if a building is in a demolition control precinct or not.
Many homes that were constructed prior to the end of 1946 are categorized as pre-war homes, and generally they can be distinguished by their character features.
Many of these pre-war homes can be identified on the traditional building character overlay maps which are part of Brisbane city council’s online resources. What this means is that a home that falls within a precinct where the traditional building character overlay exists, cannot be removed. It is effectively in a demolition control precinct. These homes can be renovated to return them to their original character – just not removed from the site.
Not all homes constructed prior to or during 1946 are protected from demolition. Council have concentrated the traditional building character overlay in neighbourhoods where there are significant pre-war homes with character values in a condensed area. So, in some areas, a home may be a pre-war home, but if it falls outside of the traditional building character overlay map, then it can be demolished. Usually these properties are located in areas where there were not a lot of homes built in the area in 1946 or before so the pre war properties are not typical for the area.
In summary, it is important to know if a property falls within a traditional building character overlay because it has significant implications in relation to whether a property is located in a demolition control precinct, or if it can actually be demolished and removed from the site.
As always, please contact us at Streamline Property Buyers for all your Brisbane property questions … we are always willing to help.