The Property Council has responded to the consultation paper of the review of the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990.
- In our submission, we detailed 2 key points which require improvement; Heritage listing and the net cost to the private owner (which has 3 core issues; lack of certainty around what will be listed in the future, a complete lack of consideration of economic costs to the owner in the heritage listing process and a lack of policy settings and programs that adequately compensate for private losses or provide sufficient positive incentives for a private owner to plan, fund and carry our heritage conservation works), and
- Timeframes relating to registering a place; When it comes to the timeframes for registering a building, the absence of dedicated deadlines results in the lack of certainty . Whilst the interim registration process is supported, clear time frames need to be established to negate confusion and give industry certainty.
In our consultations the Property Council found broad based support for the retention of heritage buildings. However, the State’s heritage protection laws do not adequately address the concerns of affected property owners. This submission outlines the key improvements which should be made to the Heritage Act.
The Heritage Act Review provides a unique opportunity to build on the strengths of the current system and develop new approaches and incentives to make investment in heritage buildings more attractive.
The Property Council eagerly anticipates the outcome of the review, and looks forward to working with the Heritage Council to ensure formal heritage protection and conservation remains an important consideration in WA.
