Heritage assessments are undertaken in compliance with State Heritage Office requirements and within the guidelines of the Australia, ICOMOS Burra Charter, which defines the basic principles and procedures to be followed in the conservation of Australian heritage places.
Documentary and physical evidence is investigated, researched, documented, analysed and assessed to determine cultural heritage significance of a place.
Register of Heritage Places
Assessments for places of State significance have a high level of criteria. My experience of State level assessments encompasses several hundred preliminary assessment reports of places throughout the Wheatbelt and Goldfields regions for the State Heritage Office’s Accelerated Assessment Program and consequent full heritage assessments for many of those places that include individual and groups of residential, commercial, industrial, or infrastructure all over the state including; Metropolitan, Avon, Wheatbelt, Midwest, Goldfields, Pilbara, Kimberley, Gascoyne, Southwest.
The Government Heritage Places Disposal Process (GHPDP) requires that all State government agencies must undertake a state level heritage assessment for any proposals for development, demolition or disposal of any property deemed to be of a certain age or significance. Laura has undertaken such assessments for a number of government agencies, and with several assessments involving groups of places, such as over 100 railway buildings throughout the state for the Public Transport Authority as well as the Geraldton/Walkaway Railway line, and for the Water Corporation; Leonora Water Supply, and Kalgoorlie Pipeline (pumps stations, dams, rock catchments), and various others including for the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, WA Health, LandCorp, and Main Roads.
Local heritage places: Local government Heritage Inventories and reviews
Assessments for places in the local government inventories has a separate set of criterion. It’s a State Heritage guideline entitled: Assessment Criteria for local heritage places and areas.
The process of recognising heritage places and researching, assessing, documenting, and prioritising into gradings of significance/implications, provides communities with the opportunity to realise a strong sense of identity and empowerment and ensures appropriate mechanisms for planning decisions for sustainable conservation.
Current reviews: Shires of York and Corrigin.
Recent completion: Shires of Gingin (2017), Capel (1995, 2016), Goomalling (2017), Broome (2009, 2015), Northam (Final draft), Brookton, Town of Claremont (Final draft), Town of Port Hedland (2007, 2017), City of Gosnells, Shires of Meekatharra and Lake Grace (1995, 2013).
Heritage Inventories: Shires of Capel, Toodyay, Victoria Plains, Mukinbudin, Chittering, Kulin, Corrigin, Lake Grace, Wongan-Ballidu, Kondinin, Bruce Rock, Moora, Quairading, Wickepin, and Narembeen.
Regional Adviser facilitation of ‘in-house’ Inventories:
City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Town of Narrogin, Shires of Wickepin, Dandaragan, Wongan Hills, Gingin (2005).
Delineation of precincts and review/develop design guidelines, for Shire of Toodyay, City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder (Hannan St and Burt St precincts) Shire of Leonora (Gwalia), Shire of York, and Town of Claremont.
