AC/DC’s Burwood Home: A Case Study in the Limits of Planning Law

The demolition of 4 Burleigh Street Burwood, once home to AC/DC’s Young brothers, has reignited debate about heritage protection in New South Wales. Despite its cultural significance, the demolition in late 2024 was entirely legal. The case shows how current planning rules can prioritise legal compliance over broader public interest when formal heritage protections aren’t in place. The demolition went ahead under the “complying development” pathway, a fast-tracked process under state law that “skips” traditional council approval. If a property meets certain standards and isn’t heritage listed or under interim protection, it can be approved by a private certifier without public input. That’s exactly what happened here: the site was sold to a developer in 2023, a certifier gave the go-ahead, and demolition began two days later. Burwood Council had no legal power to stop it. “Complying development” aims to speed up construction and reduce red tape, especially in the face of housing shortages. This process was meant for routine, low-impact projects. But in this case, it was used to demolish a site many considered iconic. While the house was added to the National Trust Register in 2013, that register has no legal force. A 2015 council heritage review found it didn’t meet the bar for local heritage listing, and no interim protections were sought before the demolition took place. To be effective, heritage protection must be secured through formal mechanisms before development approval is granted.