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How is our heritage protected?
The first step in protecting our heritage is to identify items of heritage significance, that the community wish to keep. This is normally done by the preparation of a Heritage Study by specialist consultants or by individual heritage assessments. There are two (2) major heritage studies which have applied to Pittwater:
- Barrenjeoy Peninsula and Pittwater Heritage Study - McDonald McPhee Pty Ltd (1989)
- Ingleside/Warriewood Urban Land Release Heritage Study - Tropman & Tropman (1993)
The second step, to ensure these identified places are managed and protected, is for the identified items to be placed on statutory heritage lists. Listing our special places on statutory heritage registers provides a legal framework for managing the approval of major changes so that heritage significance is retained and not diminished.
There are three (3) main levels of significance and each level has its own heritage list.
Local:
Items of local significance to an area are listed in a Local Environmental Plan (LEP). This ensures that the identified heritage significance of the item is taken into account if any development is proposed. In the case of Pittwater, heritage items are listed in Schedule 9 of Pittwater Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 1993.
State:
Items which are of State significance are listed by the NSW Heritage Office on its State Heritage Register.
National:
Items of National significance are listed on the National Heritage List by the Federal Department of the Environment and Heritage.
The National Trust of Australia also has a register of heritage items, but this is an advisory list, rather than a statutory one.
Updated: 12 Jul 2011