Statement of Heritage Impact
Why is a statement needed?
Under the various provisions of Council's LEP Council cannot grant consent to a development application involving a heritage item or certain development in a conservation area without considering how the development would impact on the heritage significance of the heritage item or of the conservation area.
What is a Statement of Heritage Impact?
A Statement of Heritage Impact is a report which is prepared by an experienced heritage consultant and assesses the impacts a proposed development has on the significance of a heritage item and/or a conservation area.
Guidelines for preparing Statements of Heritage Impact have been prepared by the Heritage Branch, Department of Planning.
A Statement of Heritage Impact should include the following:
- A description of the item, site and immediate streetscape and building group (where the item is part of a building group or conservation area).
- Annotated photographs of the item including existing buildings, mature vegetation and major landscape elements and the local streetscape.
- A summary of the historical development of the place.
- For heritage items, a detailed statement of significance, based on the physical description and historical summary. Council's Heritage Inventory Sheets give the main reason a place is listed as a heritage item. Your research might reveal additional information abut the historic associations or aesthetic values or technical merit of a place that could be used to expand the statement of significance.
- For places in a conservation area, an assessment of the item’s contribution to the significance of the conservation area.
- A detailed description of the proposed development.
- For heritage items, an analysis of the positive and negative impacts of the works on the significance of the item.
- For places in a conservation area, an analysis of the positive and negative impacts of the proposed work on the setting and local streetscape and on the significance of the conservation area.
- A description of any alternative design or work options and the reasons that they were discounted.
- In the case of applications for demolition or substantial demolition, justification as to why adaptive re-use is not viable.
Additional issues to be addressed for development of heritage items or places within a conservation area are included in the Heritage Office guidelines for Statements of Heritage Impact.
An appropriately qualified heritage consultant will be familiar with these requirements and appropriate sources of information.
The Heritage Branch, Department of Planning has a Heritage Consultant List that will help you to find a consultant to prepare your Statement of Heritage Impact. Please note that Council cannot endorse the work of any of the consultants included in this list. You should make your own checks on the standard of work of any of these consultants prior to engaging them.
More Information
Heritage Branch, Department of Planning guidelines for preparing a Statement of Heritage Impact
Heritage Consultant List prepared by the Heritage Office, Department of Planning