Canberra could be added to the National Heritage List in time for the centenary celebrations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Australian Heritage Council is currently assessing the capital for inclusion on the register, which could encompass areas such as the Parliamentary Triangle, numerous garden suburbs and the undeveloped inner hills of the national capital open space system.
An advance copy of the council’s discussion paper stated that the proposed listing would include places within public ownership and would not affect homes or commercial properties that fall within the boundaries.
Today marks the start of a consultation phase, after which the council will issue a report to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. He will decide whether to include Canberra on the National Heritage List.
Australian Heritage Council chair Carmen Lawrence said the boundaries, not yet finalised, would not encompass the entire territory.
‘‘It’s not the whole city of Canberra, lock stock and barrel,’’ she said. ‘‘The assessment is value-driven, not place-driven.’’
The assessment was prompted by a number of nominations outlining the values of various planning concepts utilised throughout the city, including the initial 1912 design.
If the assessment is successful, she said the council would work with local parties on how to best protect the identified values.
Alongside planning concepts, the council is considering the heritage value of the city’s social significance associated with landmark indigenous rights decisions and its association with prime ministers and politicians whose election marked milestones in the evolution of Australian democracy.
The proposed national heritage listing will not replace or provide dual listings for existing national heritage places such as Old Parliament House or the Australian War Memorial. Instead it aims to provide an umbrella under which existing more detailed individual heritage listings can co-exist.