48532 Local councils have many demands placed upon them, and in many cases heritage conservation is already not adequately funded or resourced at the local government level. The various sources of funding provide by the NSW Heritage Office are recognised. In many cases, the only reason some Council’s undertake work on heritage identification and listing, is because of the availability of $ for $ funding. The funding should be increased if anything; however the requirement for conservation agreements could not be financially sustained by Councils or private owners.

A key issue of concern is the amount of negativity about heritage listing which has been generated by this Productivity Commission and embodied in the Draft Report recommendations. Heritage listing does not need to be a disadvantage and in many instances it is a benefit to a property owner. Obviously all situations are different, but a listing does not impose maintenance requirements on the owner and does not prevent an item being added to or altered to. It does not even prevent an item from being demolished; it just ensures that there is a mechanism to fully assess the heritage significance of the item before a decision is made to approve demolition. Statements of Heritage Significance are available and used in these instances.

We look forward to seeing the Final Report. If you wish to discuss the issues raised in this submission, please do not hesitate to contact Janine Formica (Mon – Wed) on (02) 9970 1148 or Caroline Kades on (02) 9970 1159.

Yours faithfully

Steve Evans
DIRECTOR - ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND COMMUNITY