The newly released Victorian Local Heritage Guidelines have officially replaced PPN01. We break down what this means for strategic assessments, housing targets, and resolving planning conflicts.

Dr James Lesh examines the origins of Melbourne's first urban conservation area in South Parkville. This retrospective examines how early resident advocacy and evolving municipal policies shaped the precinct-based heritage protections we rely on today.

Following an interview with Nine News Melbourne, Dr James Lesh examines the Corkman rebuild, the resulting planning reforms, and the realities of facsimile heritage.

Engaging a heritage consultant is a pivotal decision for any project in Victoria. Whether you are renovating a family home or masterplanning a commercial site, this guide outlines the expertise required to ensure statutory compliance and project success.

This is what you need to know before you pick up a brush to paint your heritage home. Restoring or modernising your property’s exterior is a standard part of homeownership, but when heritage controls apply, a simple weekend job can quickly become a complex planning issue. In Victoria, most heritage homes fall under a municipial Heritage Overlay (HO) , administered through your local council or shire's planning scheme. If your property is within a Heritage Overlay and the sche

Following a recent talk, we examine the data, physical challenges, and shifting public perceptions of Victoria’s postwar architectural legacy.

Read Dr James Lesh's review of Assessing the Social Values of Heritage: Methods in Theory and Practice by Elizabeth Robson.

Heritage Workshop brought together leading experts from across the heritage ecosystem for a critical and frank discussion: "Artificial Heritage? AI and the heritage industry." at the Australia ICOMOS National Conference 2025 in Ballarat on Wadawurrung Country.

This focus on future leaders is integral to our philosophy of next-generation conservation. Our work is dedicated to the innovative mindset necessary to sustaining heritage in a world experiencing rapid change.

Across our projects, Heritage Workshop offers analytical and evidence-based perspectives towards a new consensus for housing and heritage.

How do heritage places manage advertising? James Lesh on recent debates at Fed Square.

James Lesh on Repurposing Old Large Heritage Buildings and the exemplary LGBTQIA+ Oxford Street, Sydney Heritage Study.

James Lesh has rocked heritage and discussed stained tiles in public space in recent media interviews.

Heritage Workshop's submission to the new Plan For Victoria.

Over recent months, I’ve provided expert commentary to media outlets in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide .

An extract from James Lesh's book 'Values in Cities' on values-based conservation, both where it's come from, and where it's heading.

Restore, rebuild or raze? Debate rages over the fate of our grand old buildings!

Heritage conservation has been blamed for making the housing crisis worse by standing in the way of new, higher-density housing. But protecting heritage and increasing housing should be complementary objectives.

Destruction, Development and Heritage at one site in Melbourne.

James Lesh and Rebecca Madgin have co-edited the book collection People-Centred Methodologies for Heritage Conservation: Exploring Emotional Attachments to Historic Urban Places.

James Lesh reviews 'Valuing Architecture: Heritage and the Economics of Culture'.

James Lesh joins a panel of esteemed heritage educators to discuss Jorge Otero-Pailos' essential text.

My words on heritage appear in Architect Victoria magazine, Edition 3, 2022. I collaborated with Loren Adams, Felicity Watson, Kerstin...

Adopting new perspectives won’t only preserve our historic buildings and places by enabling us to shape them for today’s needs. It will also mean urban heritage can contribute to cities becoming more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.