b'I f you have ever found yourself butting heads with bureaucracy when attempting to bring about change, youre probably no stranger to the frustration that accompanies it. While the preservation of cherished heritage assets is essential to protect them and ensure they dont fall victim to subpar refurbishments, there can be circumstances where broader heritage regulations are impediments to positive improvements.FortheownerofthisclassicVictorianterracehomein Newtown that was in need of a repaint, there were more than a few barriers standing between her and her desire to use the project as an opportunity for enhancing the overall streetscape. I wanted to make people smile when they walked down the street, bring joy and beauty to the precinct and make a gift to my wonderful local community, says homeowner Laurel, who reached out to Lymesmiths Sonia van de Haar to help turn her vision into a reality. Thoughthebuildingitselfwasnotheritagelisted,itsits withinSydneysHeritageConservationZone.Lymesmiths transformation aimed to take the homes faade on a journey from bland beige to beautiful blue. As anticipated, the process to obtain approval for the new colour scheme and mural from the City of Sydney Council was a lengthy one. TheprojectrequiredaDAalongwithaheritageimpact statement by an independent assessor. This felt unduly bureaucratic and expensive to the client, whose background in health and public policy had motivated her to gift the mural to her community, explains Sonia. Laurel saw her house as an opportunity to illustrate how the arts and the built environment can come together to lead to improvements in health and wellbeing.Cracknell Lonergan wrote a Statement of Heritage Advice which supported the design of the mural as being appropriate to the heritage conservation zone contextand it was ultimately approved. One of the key reasons the project was successful was because the mural design echoes shapes and colours found in the local architecture. Sonia named it Arc Angel as a play on the words, with arc meaning a change of direction and an angel being a messenger.This project illustrates my belief that heritage architecture neednotbeconsignedtostrictlyhistoriccolourschemesin perpetuity. Buildings that are in conservation zones but that are not themselves listed buildings can contribute very positively to Sydney terrace homethe local context without being bland on the one hand or painted brings joyous colour toto a heritage colour scheme formula on the other. Our older the local communitybuildings should be celebrated, painted with care and reinvented overtime,saysSonia.Toidentifythecoloursanddevelop with a standout mural. thedesign,Iwalkedtheneighbourhoodlookingatthehues 30 blackwhitemag.com'