OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND CURTILAGE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2008–2013

6. Zones
Part B – Management
78 Old Parliament House and Curtilage Heritage Management Plan 2008–2013
Landmark Zone
Rationale
This zone brings together a discrete suite of architectural, symbolic and landscape elements coherently and logically
when considered as a single unit. The external appearance and setting of Old Parliament House is essential to the
landmark status of the building and to the integrated urban design of the capital city conceived by Walter Burley
Griffin. The façade and exterior faces are the most public, prominent and recognisable elements of the building and
have been maintained in a single style and colour through different phases of modification and additions. As a result,
the exterior of all periods share the same heritage values and demand the same or similar management regimes. The
front and rear entrances are integral. Significant exteriors are also located within the building defining the courtyards.
These courtyards reflect a continuity of Murdoch’s aesthetic. The immediate curtilage to the building is an important
remaining component of the setting within the landscape.
Location
Spaces: the setting; the façade and other external faces; front, rear and side entrances.
Statement of intent
To conserve and interpret the values of Old Parliament House through the management of its external appearance
within its setting.
Objectives
1. To conserve those features of the exterior embodying the place’s heritage values. (Refer to Policy 1)
2. To remove intrusive elements where appropriate. (Refer to Policy 1)
3. To facilitate appropriate public access for the purposes of telling the story of Australian democracy and the physical
evolution of the place, without adversely impacting on the heritage values. (Refer to Policies 4 & 6)
4. To prevent undesirable change to the fabric which reduces its heritage values. (Refer to Policy 1)
5. To ensure that this zone is managed in accordance with the policies contained within the Heritage Management
Plan.
6. To ensure that any change or use is consistent with the place’s heritage values and does not detract from the
relationship of the place to its wider setting. (Refer to Policies 2 & 5)