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What is heritage listing?

Heritage listing is the recognition that a place demonstrates cultural heritage significance and is a method of ensuring that proposed changes respect and retain those qualities and characteristics that contribute to its significance. Listing may include places of local, state, national and world significance.

What is a Heritage List established under Schedule 2, Part 3, Clause 8(1) of the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015?

The Council makes the decision to adopt places onto the Heritage List that are considered to be worthy of built heritage conservation.

As a minimum, the State Heritage Office recommends that all places included in the State Register are added to the Heritage List, plus those places assessed as having ‘Exceptional’ or ‘Considerable’ significance for the local area.

What is the State Register of Heritage Places?

Places with significance at the state wide level may be included on the State Register under the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990. The Heritage List includes places entered on the State Register. All changes to these places require development approval and must be referred to State Heritage Office as part of the development application process.

The State Register can be found here: State Heritage Office ‘inHerit’ database.

How does entry on the Heritage List affect private landowners?

Entry on the Heritage List means that the heritage values of the place are recognised in the statutory planning framework. The impact of future development proposals on the heritage values of the place will be a key consideration in the assessing of a development application, as well as the normal planning considerations such as building height limits, setback distances from boundaries etc.

Can I demolish a heritage listed property?

Development approval will be required for the demolition of a property on the Heritage List.

Can I change the interior of a heritage property?

Internal changes are permissible and do not require approval, unless they are structural in nature or affect interior features identified to have heritage significance.

The purpose of this Heritage List is to identify places that are of significant cultural heritage value and worthy of conservation.

Modification or additions to a place on the Heritage List will usually require planning approval and may require referral to the State Heritage Office.