Built heritage can provide examples of craftsmanship and materials that are becoming increasingly rare.
We associate physical reminders of our past with passage of time, important people or events.
They inform us about our cultural history, connect us with our past, and give the community a sense of identity.
Heritage listing identifies items and places of significant value and ensures due consideration is given to these values when development is proposed. Heritage listing is not used to stop or inhibit growth.
It is important to remember that significance does not exist because of heritage lists. Heritage lists exist because of heritage significance. Just because an item or place is not listed, doesn't mean the item or place is not significant and should not be protected.
For information on how to consider and heritage matters during the development assessment process go to our Development Control Plans page.
Heritage lists contain all the recognised places, sites and items that have been assessed as 'of significance' according to standard criteria and levels.
There are heritage lists for the Snowy Monaro Region, NSW and Australia.
New items continue to be added to heritage lists as more information becomes available and new discoveries are made. As most listed heritage is of a local nature, the listing can be found within Schedule 5 of the relevant Local Environmental Plan.
Bombala LEP 2012 Schedule 5
Cooma-Monaro LEP 2013 Schedule 5
Snowy River LEP 2013 Schedule 5
Clause 5.10 of the Standard Instrument LEP outlines the nature of works that require consent and those that don’t. The State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, also referred to as the Codes SEPP, outlines development that may be exempt in relation to heritage items and areas.
The NSW Heritage Branch maintains a Register of State listed items in Section 1 and local items in Section 2. This can be searched by selecting 'Snowy Monaro' under the Local Government Area tab.
The Commonwealth maintains the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List under the National Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Council's plans for local heritage are outlined in the Snowy Monaro Heritage Strategy 2021-2023(PDF, 3MB)
It sets out Council's approach to the management of built and other non-Aboriginal historic heritage. It identifies heritage initiatives to conserve, protect and promote our local heritage.
This strategy applies to heritage management within the context of Council's jurisdiction in land use and infrastructure planning, compliance and regulation.
It draws from and is consistent with higher order strategic plans, including the Snowy Monaro Community Strategic Plan, Snowy Monaro Local Strategic Planning Statement which contain directions for the protection and management of the Snow Monaro heritage.
Public awareness of the value of heritage management and conservation is growing. Over the 2020-2023 period it is anticipated the ongoing promotion of best practice heritage management, through the actions outlined in this strategy, will become even more widely recognised and taken up by the wider community.
Aboriginal cultural heritage may include physical relics and non-physical or intangible connections to places.
These connections may be based on belief systems incorporating cultural, ceremonial or spiritual associations with places and similarly give the Aboriginal community their sense of identity and connection to Country.
Further information on the Aboriginal Communities in the Snowy Monaro Region, can be found on this website under Aboriginal Communities.