FAQs

Numerous studies and experience from other western suburbs local governments and cities across Australia have shown that Heritage Areas are either neutral or positive for home values. This is because once Heritage Areas are established, they become an attractor for people who love these areas and are willing to pay a premium to live in an area that is unlikely to become substantially redeveloped.

Below are links to some of the many studies:

• Insuring, buying and selling heritage places (www.wa.gov.au)
• Impact of heritage listing on residential property values
• How will HCD designation affect the resale value of my house? - Cabbagetown Heritage Conservation District Committee (cabbagetownhcd.ca)
• Heritage Designation and Property Values: Is there an effect? [Research Study]
• How cultural values are reflected on the housing market – direct effects and the cultural spillover
• The impacts of historic districts on residential property land values in Australia
• Historic Preservation and Residential Property Values: Evidence from Quantile Regression
• An assessment of the effects of conservation areas on value
• Does the Housing Market Value Heritage? Some Empirical Evidence

No. A Heritage Area designation does not prohibit any future change, rather it provides the framework within which changes can occur. Designation does not imply that heritage sites or buildings cannot be altered, added to, subdivided, modernised, or in certain situations demolished. Rather, the main aim of heritage listing is to ensure due and expert consideration is given by the applicant and Council to the heritage significance of an item at the development application stage, and to ensure that any new work is undertaken in a manner sympathetic to the significance of the area.

• Basic maintenance, and internal works are exempt from Heritage Area protection and do not need a development application.
• Works to the rear which are not visible from the street do not have Heritage Area protection.
• More significant works to the front of the house can be supported so long as they are consistent with the heritage significance of the place and the design elements set out in the Statement of Significance for each place within LPP 6.2.
• Upper floor additions and alterations can be made where it is demonstrated that they will not be detrimental to the significance of the place. This usually means upper floors should be set well back from the street, and that applications must be accompanied by a Heritage Impact Statement by a suitably qualified assessor demonstrating that the additions will be in keeping with the significance of the area.

It is important to remember that the proposed Heritage Areas are malleable and can be modified. A Heritage Area is a collection of places that have a cohesive cultural significance. This could be a street block, one side of a street, or a collection of houses in the middle of a block. While most of the areas identified have undergone some redevelopment, initial review has shown that they continue to demonstrate a collective significance. 

However, during the course of consultation, it may come to light that large portions of blocks or parts of blocks are no longer cohesive. Too many houses may have been modified or demolished for the street to "read" as being significance. In this case, certain sides of the street along a block, or a block itself, may be recommended for exclusion from the Heritage Area.

When a property is heritage-listed, it is placed on the heritage list due to its unique properties and appearance. The whole of the place is considered to have significance.

A property in a Heritage Area is included because it contributes to the streetscape appearance of the area, commonly representative of the era in which the street was established. Only the external aspects of the house visible from the street have significance in a Heritage Area.

The adopted Council Plan received input from hundreds of residents across the City of Nedlands, and set goals and objectives for the City to strive for the next ten years. One of those goals is to identify heritage in an effort to preserve the Nedlands character.

The City has an existing Local Heritage Survey, which is a record-keeping document that records places that may be of historical or cultural significance. This survey is periodically reviewed. The Heritage Areas in this current program stem from those reviews.

We understand that community buy-in is critical to the success of the project. We plan to carry out extensive consultation in an effort to try to make contact with every owner and resident within an affected area. We'll be visiting the affected streets at various times of the day and on some weekends to discuss the proposal.