Heritage
Council has undertaken a review of its Municipal Heritage Inventory (1995, updated 1998) with a view to updating the listings and incorporating new places onto the Inventory. Council has also resolved to prepare a Heritage List under its Town Planning Scheme No.2 and a Heritage Conservation and Development Policy.
A Municipal Heritage Inventory is a list of places the City of Rockingham considers for cultural heritage significance. The City is currently in the process of making modification to the Inventory, to find out more about the proposed changes please contact Ross Underwood on 9528 0341.
Statutory protection is provided under the provisions of the City of Rockingham Town Planning Scheme No.2 for places that are separately entered on a Heritage List under the Scheme.
The City's Heritage Conservation and Development Policy provides guidance on how the City deals with proposals to extend or alter, redevelop or demolish places on the Heritage List.
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The nature of heritage often confuses people, as the word ‘heritage’ has a number of meanings, depending on one’s approach. The City of Rockingham defines heritage as: "Aspects of our past that we want to keep: a site which has played an important part in our history, a building which is special because of its architectural style or association with a person, or a natural feature such as a rock formation, fossil site or landscape - things which we would like future generations to enjoy."
Heritage is important in understanding the story of both Western Australia and the local community - its history, identity and diversity. Heritage is wide ranging and consists of places such as buildings, structures, gardens, cemeteries, landscapes, heritage areas, shipwrecks and archaeological sites. We want to protect and pass on significant examples of these places to future generations so they will be able to enjoy a rich and diverse cultural environment and to understand what came before them.
A Municipal Heritage Inventory is a list of places and structures which,
in the opinion of the City of Rockingham, are, or may become, of
cultural heritage significance.
Local governments are required under section 45 of the Heritage of
Western Australia Act 1990 to prepare a Municipal Inventory to
recognise the heritage importance of places to the local community.
'Cultural heritage significance' is the aesthetic, historic, scientific or
social significance a place may have for present and future generations.
These values have been defined by the Heritage Council of Western
Australia and, in the preparation of a Municipal Heritage Inventory, are
used as assessment criteria to evaluate the importance of a place for the
local government area.
Heritage identification also occurs at the national and state levels
using similar criteria. The Commonwealth government lists places at
the national level, and the State governments list places at the state
level. In Western Australia, state-significant places are entered onto
the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s State Register of Heritage
Places.
The Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990 requires all local government authorities in Western Australia to compile, and periodically update and review, a Municipal Inventory. The City responded positively to the Act, and by 1995 had compiled the City of Rockingham Municipal Heritage Inventory. The Inventory was prepared by heritage advisor, Jack Phillimore, in consultation with the City’s Heritage Advisory Committee and was reviewed in 1998. In 2003 the City appointed heritage consultants Palassis Architects to work with the City to undertake a further review and update of the Inventory.
In addition to meeting the requirements of the Act, the Municipal Heritage Inventory can assist the City of Rockingham to:
• Provide a cultural and historic record of the local district;
• Determine local government conservation policies
• Provide information about local heritage that may be required the City’s Town Planning Scheme No.2
• Determine the City’s heritage conservation policies
• Achieve the heritage conservation objectives of town planning in the State.
The City of Rockingham Municipal Heritage Inventory simply provides recognition of a place's importance to the local community. Places entered in the Inventory do not have legal protection, unless they are also listed in the City’s Heritage List under Town Planning Scheme No.2, or have been entered in the State Register of Heritage Places.
A Heritage List is a list of places compiled under the City’s Town Planning Scheme No.2 for which planning approval will be required for demolition, alterations or other development affecting the cultural heritage significance of the place.
Heritage Lists must be compiled with regard to the Municipal Heritage Inventory, but do not necessarily include all places in a Municipal Inventory. The City is proposing to include all places on the Municipal Inventory with a Management Category of “D” or higher on the list, but excluding historic sites (where the structure is gone) and places outside of the jurisdiction of the City’s Town Planning Scheme (such as Garden and Penguin Islands).
Some places are more important to the community than others and some buildings have been lost over time, with only the site remaining. Management Categories recognise the levels of significance and intactness of heritage places and provide recommendations to the City as to the kind of care that should be taken for each place.
Each place entered onto the Municipal Heritage Inventory is afforded a Management Category between A+ and E, with A+ being the most significant, D being the least significant, and E being a historic site only (i.e. with no remaining structures).
The City will keep a copy of the Municipal Heritage Inventory and Heritage List for public access. You can also search the Heritage
Council's Places Database on its website at www.heritage.wa.gov.au.
The website above provides information on places entered in the State Register of Heritage Places, Municipal Inventories, National Trust's List of Classified Places and other heritage lists.
No. The place remains the sole property of the owner. Normal access arrangements will remain in place; that is, any person accessing the property without the owner’s consent will be a trespasser.
Yes, but planning approval is required for alterations, extensions, change of use or demolition where the building is entered on the Heritage List under the City’s Town Planning Scheme No.2. The City’s Heritage Conservation and Development Policy provides further information on making an application for works on a heritage-listed property.
The Heritage Conservation and Development Policy:
• Applies the development control principles contained in the State Planning Policy 3.5 Historic Heritage Conservation;
• Provides development and design guidance for development of places in the Heritage List established pursuant to the City of Rockingham Town Planning Scheme No.2; and
• Details procedures for making applications for approval of heritage-related development.
The objectives of the Heritage Conservation and Development Policy are:
• To conserve and protect places of cultural heritage significance within the City of Rockingham;
• To ensure that development does not adversely affect the significance of heritage places;
• To ensure that heritage significance is given due weight in decision making for applications for planning approval; and
• To provide greater certainty to landowners and the community about the planning processes for heritage identification and protection in the City of Rockingham.
Where a place is entered on the Heritage List under the City's Town Planning Scheme, planning approval is required for demolition of a building. The City's Heritage Conservation and Development Policy provides further information and guidance on the demolition of heritage-listed places.
There is no legal obligation to maintain a listed property in any way other than under existing regulations.
Properties that are well maintained with a modern standard of plumbing and electrical wiring should not be difficult to insure, regardless of whether they are heritage-listed. Normal insurance cover should be sufficient as the following principles would generally apply:
- In the case of virtually complete destruction, reconstruction of the building would neither be required nor necessarily favoured.
- In the case of major structural damage, replacement in compatible materials would be preferable to attempting to replicate old elements.
- In the case of non-structural damage, replacement with modern materials to period designs would be preferred, if feasible and economical.
Where an application for development has been submitted, the City will consider waiving the following application fees for conservation works:
- Planning Services fee for development proposals
- Building Licence fee
Incentives provided by other organisations, such as grants and tax rebates, may apply for proposals to conserve heritage places. These are offered by the Heritage Council of Western Australia, Lotterywest, The National Trust of Australia (WA), and Australian Heritage Council. The Heritage Council of Western Australia's Guide to Heritage Agencies and Assistance provides advice on the various agencies and assistance programs that may be applicable to any project.
The City's Planning Services can answer any queries relating to the Municipal Heritage Inventory or heritage listing, and can be contacted via the details below. Technical advice can be obtained from the Regional Heritage Advisor (Rockingham region) - please contact Planning Services in this respect.
Publications from the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s website, www.heritage.wa.gov.au, have been used as the source for some of the above information. Additional details and other general and technical information can be downloaded from this site.
The Heritage Information is available in a printable PDF file (293kb). For further information contact Ross Underwood on 9528 0341 during normal business hours.
