Heritage homes: when you need permission to alter

Cape Town has some of the oldest residential architecture in South Africa, from Bo-Kaap cottages to Victorian terraces in Woodstock and Gardens to old Cape estates in Constantia. Many owners do not realise that their house is protected by heritage legislation until their building plans are sent back. Here is what you need to know before you plan changes to an older house.

The 60-year rule

Section 34 of the National Heritage Resources Act protects every structure older than 60 years. No one may alter or demolish such a structure without a permit from the provincial heritage authority, which in the Western Cape is Heritage Western Cape (HWC).

This applies whether or not the building is considered special. A plain 1950s house is just as covered by the rule as a Cape Dutch homestead. What changes is how much scrutiny the application gets.

“Alter” is broadly defined. It can include changing the façade, replacing windows and doors, changing roof forms, adding a storey, and sometimes significant internal changes.

Heritage protection overlay zones

In addition, the City of Cape Town has heritage protection overlay (HPO) zones over areas with special heritage character, such as the Bo-Kaap and parts of the City Bowl and older suburbs. In these zones, the City manages heritage itself, and changes to buildings, boundary walls and even new buildings can need heritage approval, regardless of their age.

How the process works

1. Check whether the rules apply. Find out the age of the house (old approved plans or the title deed history help) and whether it is in an HPO zone. The City’s online map viewer shows overlay zones.
2. Appoint the right people. An architect with heritage experience is a big advantage. For more significant buildings, a heritage practitioner may be needed to prepare a statement of significance.
3. Submit the heritage application. For buildings older than 60 years, this goes to HWC or, in some cases, the City under delegated authority. The application shows the existing building, the proposed changes and how they respect the building’s character.
4. Then submit building plans. The building plan application needs the heritage approval to be in place before it can be approved.

Heritage approval adds time to the programme. Factor this in from the start, rather than finding out when your plans are returned.

What heritage authorities look for

In general, heritage authorities are not trying to stop change. They want changes that respect the building and the street. Good applications tend to:

• Keep the street façade and its key features
• Place additions behind or to the side, so they read as new rather than imitations
• Use materials and proportions that suit the original
• Retain original features such as timber windows, pressed-metal ceilings and fireplaces where possible

Building on a heritage property

Building work on older houses needs care. Original walls may have no damp-proof course, foundations may be shallow, and materials such as lime plaster behave differently from modern cement plaster. Repairs should be done with compatible materials.

Our work at Schau-ins-Land, a hundred-year-old family estate, was a good example. Projects like this are about adding to a place without losing what makes it special. If you own an older home and are planning changes, talk to us early.