We have undertaken studies to ensure that heritage is appropriately considered and items are appropriately conserved.
A community-based heritage study was prepared in 2005 and includes a thematic history and a list of individual heritage items.
Heritage items can include buildings or any parts of a building, farmyard structures, trees, view, streetscape, archaeological site, monuments, conservation areas, bridges, shipwrecks or industrial buildings. Items which have community significance are listed in our Local Environmental Plan (LEP). These items and why they are important, are described in the Shellharbour Heritage Inventory Sheets available from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) database.
This toolkit assists us in providing the most appropriate type and degree of investigation of Aboriginal cultural heritage values when assessing development applications and works carried out by us. The 'appropriate' type or level of assessment may vary according to proposal location and the known or potential Aboriginal cultural heritage values in an area, as well as the nature of the development or activity proposed and its probable degree of impact.
The toolkit is required to operate within the over-arching NSW planning laws, our Local Environmental Plan and both state and federal legislation regarding the protection and management of Aboriginal cultural heritage. It helps to address a gap in the current system for managing Aboriginal culture and heritage within NSW in terms of the lack of a connection and consistency between planning and heritage laws at the local government level.
Refer to our Development Control Plan (DCP) to assist in determining how Aboriginal heritage should be addressed with development applications. The DCP has a chapter which is a useful tool in ensuring that the legislative requirements associated with development and Aboriginal Heritage are addressed.