FAQs

Heritage is important in understanding the story of Western Australia  - its history, identity and diversity. 

Heritage is diverse and consists of places such as buildings, monuments, gardens, cemeteries, cultural landscapes and archaeological sites. We share the responsibility to identify and protect what is important and pass on these places to future generations so they will understand what came before them.

The Heritage Act 2018 requires each local government to identify places of cultural heritage significance in a local heritage survey. The Heritage Act 2018 states that the purpose of the survey is to: 

a) identify and record places that are, or may become, of cultural heritage significance within the City of Kwinana;

b) assist the local government in making and implementing decisions that are in harmony with cultural heritage values;

c) provide a cultural and historic record of the City;

d) provide an accessible public record of places of cultural heritage significance in the City; and

e) assist the local government in preparing a heritage list under the City's Local Planning Scheme.  

 A Heritage Place is defined in the Heritage Act 2018 as:

'a defined or readily identifiable area of land and may include any of the following things that are in, or over the land -

a) archaeological remains;

b) buildings, structures, other built forms, and their surrounds;

c) equipment, furniture, fittings and other objects (whether fixed or not) that are historically or physically associated or connected with the land;

d) gardens and man-made parks or sites; or

e) a tree or group of trees (whether planted or naturally occurring) in, or adjacent to, a man-made setting.

A Heritage List is a list of places complied under the City's Local Planning Scheme No. 2 for which development approval will be required for any demolition, alterations or other development affecting the cultural heritage significance of the place.

Heritage Lists must be compiled with regard to the Local Heritage Survey but do not necessarily include all places in the Local Heritage Survey. The City proposes to include all places in the Local Heritage Survey with a Management Category of 'C' or higher in the heritage list.

In line with the Guidelines for Local Heritage Surveys 2019 published by the Heritage Council, the Local Heritage Survey focuses on events and developments in Western Australian history since the arrival of European settlers. it does not attempt to record the legacy or Aboriginal occupation prior to European settlement however it does note the overlap between European settlers and Aboriginal people in the district, where the information is available.

The Local Heritage Survey does not include Aboriginal heritage places as these are administered under separate legislation and require both specialist archaeological and anthropological skills and cultural sensitivity which may preclude the disclosure of information to the public. Significant Aboriginal heritage is recorded and preserved through the provisions of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 administered by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.  

The City recognises the importance of Aboriginal heritage to the social, environmental and economic prosperity of the City. Further work is required to identify, understand, protect and promote Aboriginal heritage in Kwinana.

Some places have more cultural heritage significance to the City and the community than others. Management categories recognise the levels of significance of heritage places and provide recommendations to the City as to the kind of care and protection that should be afforded to each place.

Each place included in the Local Heritage Survey 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 Management Categories are detailed below:

The preparation of this Local Heritage Survey was undertaken with reference to the Guidelines prepared by the State Heritage Office of Western Australia in consultation with the City of Kwinana.

In accordance with the guidelines, the assessment process consisted of a site visit to photograph the place, and to record the condition of the physical fabric with reference to the surrounding streetscape and environment. The accuracy of the land information and historical information for each place was reviewed and added to where necessary.  

For new nominations, that haven't previously been included in the City's Municipal Heritage Inventory (which the Local Heritage Survey replaces) a short history of each place was prepared in addition to the physical evidence. Once each place was documented, cultural heritage values were ascribed using the following criteria:

Aesthetic Value: It is significant in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics

Historic Value: It is significant in the evolution or pattern of the history of the local district

Research Value: It has demonstrable potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the natural or cultural history of the local district. It is significant in demonstrating a high degree of technical innovation or achievement.

Social Value: It is significant through association with a community of cultural group in the local district for social, cultural, educational or spiritual reasons.

Rarity: It demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of the cultural heritage of the local district.

Representativeness: It is significant in demonstrating the characteristics of a class of cultural places or environments in the local district.

Condition: The current state of the place in relation to the values for which that place has been assessed, and is generally graded on the scale of Good, Fair or Poor.

Integrity: The extent to which a building retains its original function, generally graded on a scale of High, Medium or Low.

Authenticity: The extent to which the fabric is in its original state, generally graded on a scale of High, Medium or Low.

A statement of significance was prepared using the cultural heritage values and a management category ascribed. The management category is a tool for the City of Kwinana when assessing individual development applications and for forward planning.

If your property has been included in the draft Local Heritage Survey or is proposed for inclusion on the City's Heritage List you will have received a letter from the City informing you of this.

In addition, once the Local Heritage Survey has been adopted, the City will upload a copy to its website and keep a copy for public access.

Place information will also be uploaded to InHerit, which is the Heritage Council's database which can be found at www.heritage.wa.gov.au. This database provides information on places entered in the State Register of Heritage Places, Local Heritage Surveys, the National Trust's List of Classified Places and other heritage lists.

To ensure that the heritage value of your property is respected, any changes or demolition to a property on the City's Heritage List will need to be referred to the City of Kwinana for approval through a building or development application. 

General maintenance and minor works do not generally need to be referred. Check with the City, or the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage's Heritage Development team to see if you need approval before you start any work.

Properties that are well-maintained with modern plumbing and electrical wiring should not be difficult to insure regardless of whether they are heritage listed. Normal insurance is usually sufficient for heritage properties but, like any property owner, you should obtain adequate coverage to replace materials on a like for like basis.

There are three main heritage listing types in Western Australia that are established through legislation: Local Heritage Surveys, prepared by Local Governments, Heritage Lists which are administered by Local Government and the State's Register of Heritage Places.

The Heritage Council report that regardless of listing type, the property values of heritage listed homes tend to perform just as well as non-heritage listed places, and often better. Like any property, the value of a home deemed to have cultural heritage significance will be affected by a range of factors including size, location, quality and how well it has been maintained.

A range of grants and incentives are available from the Heritage Council to assist owners with the conservation of their properties, including the Heritage Council's Heritage Grants Program. Check with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage for more information.