Heritage asset management for state agencies

Principle 1: Celebrate, promote, and interpret the agency’s heritage

Heritage is a shared value that contributes to the culture, wellbeing, and resilience of our society for current and future generations.

Agencies should embrace the positive value of their heritage assets in providing wider social benefits to the people of New South Wales, by actively celebrating, promoting, and sharing them for the benefit and enjoyment of the broader community. 

Principle 2: Lead by example in the conservation, protection, and management of heritage items

Agencies must lead by example by adhering to:

• The Heritage Act 1977
• the State-owned heritage management principles
• Heritage asset management guidelines: Heritage Council of NSW guidelines for state agencies.

Agencies should set the benchmark for the community in proactively conserving and managing heritage assets. This is demonstrated by submitting timely applications, submitting the proper notifications, including heritage in early planning discussions, implementing achievable heritage asset management strategies/practices, and committing to assess and address risks to the conservation of their heritage assets early.

Principle 3: Take a whole-of-agency approach to managing the agency’s heritage asset portfolio

Managing heritage assets must be integrated into an agency’s overall asset management and capital planning process. Capital planning is the NSW Government’s strategic approach to physical asset management.

Agencies should use information from their heritage and conservation register, and any other appropriate heritage asset management strategy they have, to assist them to best manage their heritage assets while also meeting capital planning requirements.

Principle 4: Identify, accurately record, and report on heritage assets

Under section 170 of the Heritage Act 1977, agencies must identify their heritage assets in a heritage and conservation register and submit it to the Heritage Council of NSW (Heritage Council) for acceptance.

Section 170(5) of the Heritage Act 1977 requires agencies to conduct an annual review of their registers to ensure information about their heritage assets is up to date. Annual reviews should be carried out as part of an agency's routine asset management processes and a copy provided to the Heritage Council (section 170(6)).

Agencies should implement active monitoring and reporting for heritage assets. Agencies should appoint a senior member to be responsible for heritage assets. Their accountability should include ensuring that the agency has appropriate asset management and reporting processes in place to meet the agency’s section 170 responsibilities. 

Where an agency is responsible for Aboriginal cultural heritage (listed on a Local Environmental Plan, the State Heritage Register, subject to an Interim Heritage Order (IHO) or identified by the agency as having state heritage significance), Aboriginal cultural knowledge holders and members of the local Aboriginal community should be invited to participate in the monitoring and reporting of these assets.

Principle 5: The use of heritage assets should be underpinned by the retention of heritage significance

The Heritage Council advocates for the continued use of heritage assets. If this is not feasible, adaptive reuse that is sympathetic to the asset’s significance is preferred over demolition.

Agencies should continue to use their heritage assets for operational purposes. Any alterations necessary for adaptive reuse of a heritage asset should be planned and executed to minimise negative impacts on its heritage significance, including (but not limited to) its curtilage and setting. To protect the heritage values of an asset, appropriate mitigating measures should be identified early in a project.

Principle 6: Use the best available knowledge, skills and standards for the management and maintenance of heritage assets

Agencies who support their staff to understand the heritage significance of their heritage assets have better heritage outcomes. 

The Heritage Council has endorsed the Heritage asset management guidelines: Heritage Council of NSW guidelines for state agencies to guide the management of heritage assets.

Agencies should employ heritage professionals and/or provide appropriate training for staff responsible for heritage assets and maintaining their heritage and conservation register. If in-house heritage expertise is not available, a suitably qualified heritage professional should be engaged to assist. 

Aboriginal cultural knowledge holders and local Aboriginal communities should be invited to provide training about Aboriginal cultural heritage, especially where an agency’s assets include Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Principle 7: Implement a planned program of repairs and maintenance to prevent heritage asset deterioration and avoid the need for expensive ‘catch-up’ works

All assets, including heritage assets, require regular maintenance to prevent their deterioration. Regular inspection and maintenance can identify issues early and prevent additional and unnecessary costs. Systematic and appropriate maintenance is essential to conserve and protect their condition.

Agencies should integrate a program of repairs and maintenance into their asset management processes.

Principle 8: The transfer of ownership, control or disposal of a heritage asset must be planned, managed, and executed in a manner that conserves heritage significance

Section 170A of the Heritage Act 1977 requires agencies to safeguard the heritage values of assets when transferring ownership, control or disposing of a heritage asset that is surplus to the agency’s operational requirements.

Disposal strategies should consider and promote the sustainable use of an asset and the overall impact that disposal may have on the asset’s heritage values.

Principle 9: Make appropriate and timely provisions for stakeholder and community involvement

The people of New South Wales have strong associations with many state-owned heritage assets. Identifying these groups and understanding how they value heritage assets is important for effective heritage management.

Agencies should consider who needs to be involved and consulted when managing their heritage asset portfolio. Agencies that have Aboriginal cultural heritage must engage with Aboriginal cultural knowledge holders about the management and care of their cultural heritage. Agencies should proactively work with Aboriginal communities to repatriate Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Agencies should consider the establishment of heritage management consultative committees, with a range of in-house and external stakeholder representation.

Principle 10: Heritage and environmental sustainability

Conservation and adaptive reuse of heritage assets promotes and supports improved environmental sustainability outcomes, while retaining the heritage significance. Sustainable conservation practices such as retention, reuse and repurposing of buildings and materials reduces resource consumption and waste.

Agencies should demonstrate leadership in the sympathetic use of environmentally sustainable technologies and materials when managing their heritage assets, including the consideration of embedded energy.

Principle 11: Climate change preparedness and disaster risk management

The impacts of climate change on heritage assets need to be understood and assessed to remove, minimise, or mitigate the long-term effects on the heritage significance and fabric of an asset.

Agencies should demonstrate leadership and preparedness by undertaking assessment and monitoring of the impact of climate change, including the increased frequency of extreme weather events, on their heritage assets over time.

An action plan, including a risk matrix to support prioritisation, should be developed, and implemented. This may require different processes for Aboriginal cultural heritage assets and Aboriginal cultural knowledge holders should be invited to participate in determining, monitoring, and reporting for these processes.