The first City of Adelaide Plan recognised ‘a need to protect, reinforce and enhance many … subtle qualities of townscape throughout the City’. The Plan described ‘Desired future character’ statements for each precinct of the city, but those statements did not afford adequate protection to townscapes. Such protection could only come from statutory recognition of a concept of heritage beyond the criteria for listing on the Registers of State and City of Adelaide Heritage Items. ACC's townscape initiative aimed to conserve groups of buildings that contributed to the traditional character of the city and reflected past periods and change. They might be mansions or modest villas or rows of workers' cottages, shops or warehouses, corner pubs or minor churches constructed of stone and brick in Victorian and Edwardian styles common to Adelaide and North Adelaide. Owners of designated townscape properties would be required to retain only those portions of their buildings viewable from the street, whereas owners of heritage-listed buildings were required to maintain the whole of their buildings.