Heritage Lists & Inventories

Reviewing a Municipal Heritage Inventory

Under the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990, Local Government Inventories, also known as Municipal Inventories or MIs, must be compiled and reviewed by the Local Authority.  MIs are common practice in Australia, and the foundation of decision-making for a range of heritage projects and processes. 

MIs identify local heritage assets and provide the base information needed for local governments to achieve consistency, strategic direction and community support when dealing with heritage matters.

The following documents are guides to best practice for local government inventories:

Basic Principles for Local Government Inventories
Criteria for the Assessment of Local Heritage Places and Areas

Please note that these documents have not yet been updated to reflect the Planning and Development (Local Planning Scheme) Regulations 2015 (the Planning Regulations).  This work is currently in progress.

Creating a Heritage List

When compiling heritage lists, a local government may elect to include all heritage places in its MI, or a smaller sub-set of places. Standard procedures for the compilation of a heritage list are set out in the deemed provisions established in the Planning Regulations, as are the procedures for designating heritage areas.

It is usual that those places of higher cultural heritage significance are adopted into the local government Heritage List. This allows the MI to act as a general survey and store of information, while the List records places that need the protection of additional planning controls.

Finding a Consultant

The Heritage Council's inContact directory is a starting point for finding heritage consultants and obtaining quotes for a Local Government Inventory Review.  We recognise that remote regional areas may struggle to obtain competitive quotes.

The following table of Local Governments that have reviewed their MI in the last four years may assist Local Governments in finding consultants who are willing to work in the regions.