Council encourages the preservation of Townsville's uniquely Australian tropical character, and recognises that this is critically linked to the maintenance of its older heritage buildings.
You can find out whether your property is heritage listed in Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value in the Townsville City Plan. To help with the preservation of Townsville's heritage properties, Council has produced the below guide, which covers:
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Download the Heritage and Character Housing Information Guide (PDF, 2.6 MB) |
If your property is listed in Schedule 7, it means you will have to comply with the Cultural heritage overlay code (part 8.2.4 of the Townsville City Plan) and the Cultural heritage planning scheme policy (Schedule 6.3 of the Townsville City Plan). If you are planning to undertake building work on your heritage property. the works may trigger a development application to Council. Depending on the works being proposed, the development application could be code or impact assessable. If you are unsure about whether your works will need Council approval, please contact us.
Council conducts a series of programs which aim to enrich the character of Townsville and the lives of its residents.
Local exemption certificates allow the owners of heritage properties to apply for upfront approval from Council on specific types of development. Exemption certificates will only be issued to development that will have only a minor detrimental effect to the property. You can apply for an exemption certificate online or by submitting an Exemption certificate application form.
For more information, read Council's Heritage Exemption Certificates.
If a building is deemed to have cultural heritage significance, it can be considered for addition to Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value. Likewise, a building can also be removed from Schedule 7 if it can be shown that the building no longer has significant cultural value. Council has prepared the following information sheets to assist property owners who are interested in adding or removing their property from Schedule 7:
Nominate to add or remove a place
You will need to attach the supplementary information required by the Cultural heritage planning scheme policy SC6.3.
Properties listed in Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value in Townsville City Plan represent the city's unique places of cultural heritage. Listing them helps us to manage and protect Townsville's cultural heritage. Cultural heritage value was developed identifying all State and Local heritage significant sites within the local government area. Listing them helps manage and protect Townsville's cultural heritage, and preserve them for future generations.
Property owners and the community were encouraged to nominate places of cultural heritage significance. An assessment was then undertaken to determine which sites were culturally significant. Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value in the Townsville City Plan is based on this assessment.
The Citation of Heritage Places Report linked to each property listed in Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value provides information about each heritage place in Townsville. It highlights the criteria that were originally identified for each place and indicates its significant heritage features and eligibility for entry into Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value.
There are four other heritage registers applicable to Townsville. These are:
The Queensland Heritage Register is a list of places of cultural heritage significance within Queensland. The register is maintained by the Queensland Government.
The National Trust Register is a list of places identified by the National Trust of Australia. This register is compiled and managed by the state branches of the National Trust.
The Register of National Estate (archive) is a national inventory of places of natural, historic and indigenous heritage significance. It is no longer an active register or statutory list. However, the list is maintained as a public archive and educational resource.
The Commonwealth Heritage List comprises of natural, indigenous and historic heritage places on Commonwealth lands and waters or under Australian Government control.
Properties listed in Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value in the Townsville City Plan, are subject to the Cultural heritage overlay code and the Cultural heritage planning scheme policy.
The purpose of the Cultural heritage overlay code is to ensure:
The Cultural heritage overlay code and Cultural heritage planning scheme policy apply to all properties listed in Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value in the Townsville City Plan, or adjoining to a property identified in Schedule 7. ‘Adjoining’ in this context refers to properties that share a boundary with a listed heritage property.
The Cultural heritage overlay code and Cultural heritage planning scheme policy has been put in place to ensure that changes to heritage places are managed effectively. This does not mean that no work at all can be carried out, only that the work needs to ensure that it does not have a detrimental impact on the heritage significance of a place. For more information, please refer to the Cultural heritage overlay code and Cultural heritage planning scheme policy in the Townsville City Plan.
If the proposed development triggers the Cultural Heritage Overlay Code, then development approval must be sought.
No. The Cultural Heritage Overlay Code cannot force an owner to restore or maintain their property.
Schedule 7 Places of cultural heritage value in the Townsville City Plan is accessible online and identifies all properties that are heritage listed. The Cultural Heritage Overlay Code and map also identifies properties that are heritage listed and properties that adjoin a heritage listed property.
