Nominating a Local Heritage Place

Schedule 7 Places of Cultural Heritage Value

Places in Townsville that have been identified as having cultural heritage significance are contained within Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value in the Townsville City Plan.

The key to whether a place is included or excluded from Schedule 7 is its cultural heritage significance. A building, site or place is deemed to have cultural heritage significance if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

  1. It is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Townsville’s history.
  2. It demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Townsville’s cultural heritage.
  3. It has potential to yield information that will contribute to the knowledge and understanding of Townsville’s history.
  4. It is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class or classes of cultural places.
  5. It is important because of its aesthetic significance.
  6. It is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technological achievement at a particular period.
  7. It has a strong or special association with the life or work of a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
  8. It has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in the city’s or local area’s history.
  9. It was constructed prior to 1910.

Anyone, including individuals, community groups and government departments can nominate a place for entry into Schedule 7 by completing and submitting a nomination form to Council.

Before you make a nomination

In order to make an informed decision about whether to enter a place into Schedule 7, Townsville City Council needs to have as much evidence to support the nomination as possible. This evidence must sufficiently demonstrate that a place has cultural heritage significance, based on the criteria.

Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value is part of the Townsville City Plan. The street addresses in the Schedule 7 table link to that place’s entry, which provide more detailed information about which significance criteria apply to that place, and what features of the place are of heritage significance.

Before submitting a nomination to add a place to Schedule 7, ensure that the answers to the following questions are clearly stated in your nomination.

Places that are significant only to a particular suburb or neighbourhood may not satisfy the criteria for entry in Schedule 7. For example, there are small public buildings such as community halls that have strong social significance to a local area, but may not have sufficient significance to the entire city. However, it may be the case that a local place ‘tells a story’ of Townsville’s settlement and early day-to-day life.

In that case, a place can be said to have city-wide significance.

For example, was it constructed before 1914, or does it have a close association with a Townsville pioneer? Include any documentation that provides proof of meeting the criteria.

Completing the nomination form

To complete the nomination form, please follow the instructions below:

  1. Give sufficient details to describe the physical location of the place (exact street address, property number, lot on plan details, etc.).
  2. Include a location map, such as a Google map aerial photo that indicates the location of the place. For remote or isolated sites, include GPS points.
  3. If the place is a building, describe the features of the place, including details about construction materials, number of storeys, type of roof and windows, verandahs, additions, significant interior finishes, fittings, etc.
  4. Provide as much information as you can about the history of the place. You may wish to conduct research into items such as rate books, historical photos, newspaper and magazine articles, local archives, etc. Additional research may be undertaken to determine when the place was built, who the architect and/or builder was, why the place was built, what it was initially used for, people or activities associated with the place, and whether the place contains any special, rare or unique qualities.
  5. Include supporting documents such as recent photographs, drawings, a site plan, etc.
  6. Based on the history and features of the place, clearly identify which criteria for cultural heritage significance you believe the place satisfies, and why.

Note: See SC6.3 Cultural heritage planning scheme policy in the Townsville City Plan for a complete list of criteria for cultural heritage significance.

After your nomination is made

An incomplete (e.g. unsigned) nomination, or a nomination with inadequate or insufficient supporting information, will not be considered and will be returned as a not properly made nomination.

If your nomination is considered to be properly made, Council will undertake a formal assessment of the nominated place.

In the event that Council endorses a nomination, the process of adding a place to Schedule 7 will follow the amendment process required for the Townsville City Plan. Amendments to the Townsville City Plan require up to 12 months to process.