We all have an appreciation for our country’s history and the buildings that represent it, but mention the words “Heritage Listed” to us builders, developers and building certifiers and watch us run for the hills. But heritage development doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. This brief summary will help simplify the process.
The first thing to know is that there are four levels of heritage in Queensland:
• International
• National
• State
• Local
The most common heritage listings we deal with in Queensland are State and Local, so we will specifically address these levels.
Local Heritage Listed
If you are developing on land of local heritage listing, or even on land adjoining a locally listed property, you will need to consult your local planning scheme to determine if this will require council approval and have design constraints.
As new town planning schemes are being written and released throughout Queensland, there is a stronger focus on a Cultural Heritage Overlay and it includes both local and state heritage listed sites. If you determine that the local listing requires some form of application to your local council, we recommended you contact your town planner or building certifier. Local listings can have major impacts on the design of your development, as well as the materials you will need to use – for example, paint types and colours. You may also be required to have a pre-lodgement meeting with Council to iron out any design issues prior to submitting the application.
The applicable IDAS Forms required for this type of application may include:
• IDAS Form 1
• IDAS Form 4, and
• IDAS Form 5 or Form 6, depending on the type of application required.
State Heritage Listed
For state heritage listed properties, you will need approval from the relevant State Government Agency, the Department of Environment, and Heritage Protection.
This could be in the form of:
• General Exemption Certificate
• Exemption Certificate
• Development Application or Concurrence Referral Agency Request (must include IDAS Form 3)
• Development by the State Application
Generally speaking, if you require a Building Permit for the works being constructed on a state heritage listed building/site, you will be required to refer the development to the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning. As part of this referral, you will be required to provide a Heritage Impact Statement, which must be written by a qualified and appropriate person. Before conducting the referral, it is strongly recommended that you conduct on-site pre-lodgement meetings with a Heritage officer from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. Development on a state heritage listed site must be designed and constructed as a joint collaboration between the developer and the state government.
Developing on a Cultural Heritage site can be daunting and seem “all too hard”. However, identifying the issues and processes at the beginning of a development will make the process much less painful.
If you have any further questions on Heritage Listed developments, or on how to correctly fill out the requests/applications, please do not hesitate one of our town planners or building certifiers at Development Certification. We would love to hear from you.