Archival Recording Services
ARS specialises in photographic archival recordings for heritage assets in NSW and Canberra. We have experience capturing archival images of residential, commercial, industrial and government properties.Because we focus on this aspect of heritage consulting, our team can deliver fast, cost effective and professional reports for your project.
What is a photographic archival recording?
Photographic archival recordings are a requirement set by Council as part of a development application approval. It normally follows this process:
Our reports comply with the new "Guidelines for preparing archival recordings of heritage items as a condition of consent" published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water in May 2025.
Contact
Get in touch with us for a quoteEmail: [email protected]
Phone: 0432 425 447
Project Examples
Development Application
Development applications are required for proposed works to heritage listed properties except for minor works and repairs which may be exempt. Council may request a heritage impact assessment or conservation management plan to evaluate the likely impacts of the proposed works to the significance of the site for example its setting, materials or construction techniques.When the development is approved, Council may require a photographic archival recording to be undertaken as part of the conditions of consent and before a construction certification is issued.
Conditions of Consent
The conditions will specify when the archival recording should take place: before, during or after the works or a combination of these. What needs to be captured will depend on the heritage significance of the site and the proposed works. It could be the exterior only, exterior and interior or specific details.
Example of the Conditions of Consent"Archival recording must be undertaken by a suitably qualified heritage specialist and prepared in accordance with How to Prepare Archival Records of Heritage Items (Heritage Council of NSW 1998) and Photographic Recording of Heritage Items Using Film or Digital Capture (Heritage Council of NSW 2006). A copy must be provided to Heritage NSW and the relevant Council and submitted as part of the final report required by Condition E01.""Because significant fabric may remain concealed and only be exposed during construction works, the archival recording is to be undertaken in stages, prior to the removal of any significant building fabric or furnishings from the site, during the removal of fabric on site that exposes significant building fabric or furnishings, and after work has been completed on site"
Site photography
Our team will research the heritage item and review the floor plans to understand the site. Most sites can be captured within a day. For larger projects with multiple buildings, photography would be completed over a few days. We take images of the context, significant views, exterior, interiors, structural elements and heritage details.
Image Processing
After site photography, the images are annotated onto floor plans to show where each photo was taken from and which direction it is facing. The photos are numbered and organised into a digital image set to be submitted.
Reporting
A photographic archival recording report includes background information for the project, a methodology, a short historical overview of the site and its heritage context. Information for these sections are taken from historical records, conservation management plans and heritage listing sheets. The report also includes a physical description of the site, captions for each of the photos and annotated plans.Our reports are created in accordance with the "Guidelines for preparing archival recordings of heritage items as a condition of consent" published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water in May 2025.
Submission
The report is submitted to you, the client for feedback and finalised. Copies are also submitted to Council for approval and to the Heritage NSW as required by the NSW guidelines.
About Me
Hi, I'm Linda. I've been working as a heritage consultant for 4 years on small and large projects in Australia. I developed an eye for detail from my background in interior architecture and I started ARS to focus on just that. View my CV here to see what I've worked on.