Wollondilly Heritage Planning Proposal - Updating Our Local Heritage List

Endorsed March 2025

Council is committed to ensuring Wollondilly’s heritage places are properly identified, documented and managed, so they are conserved for the enjoyment of current and future generations.

At its meeting in March 2025, Council resolved to update the local heritage list and maps in the Wollondilly Local Environment Plan 2011 (LEP).

Council supports the proposed amendments as publicly exhibited with the following exceptions:

• As outlined in the 'Summary of Revisions After Review' document (Attachment 14.3.5 to the Council report - this document is provided in the 'Wollondilly Heritage Planning Proposal' tab).
• Or as outlined in the resolution below.

At the March 2025 meeting, Council resolved the following changes, clarifications and actions:

• Remove and no longer list the following three new items:
  • University of Sydney Farms - Camden Campus, Brownlow Hill
  • Mount Hercules Causeway, Razorback
  • Spaniards Hill Landscape Conservation Area, Menangle.
• Proceed with heritage listing of the house at 49 Carlton Rd, Thirlmere
• Remove the the properties within the 'Yerranderie Conservation Area' from the new 'Burragorang Valley Group Landscape Conservation Area'
• Extend the curtilage by 50m around the mineral springs element of the 'Jarvisfield Mineral Springs and Guesthouse'
• Support the changes listed in the "Assessment of Each Item" (Attachment 14.3.4 of the Council report), affecting 39 listings, to adjust the item names and addresses
• Submit the revised Wollondilly Heritage Planning proposal (Stage 1) to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to make the Local Environmental Plan amendment.

Next Steps

Upon gazettal of the new and revised heritage listings, updates will be made to the heritage list (Schedule 5 of the Wollondilly LEP) and the heritage maps. This will then provide a complete list and maps of all heritage listings in Wollondilly Shire.

Key Changes

As a summary, the revised and final proposal as supported by Council includes:

New Items

• 48 new heritage items

• Four new landscape Conservation Areas including Appin Massacre Cultural Landscape, Burragorang Valley Group, Thirlmere Lakes and Vault Hill.
• The extension of the existing Picton Conservation Area.
  
• 3 new items are no longer being listed.

Revised Items

• 48 amendments to existing items, to update item names, addresses, category and / or mapping
• A grading of ‘Local Significance’ has been added to all existing Conservation Areas.

Influences on the Planning Proposal

This Planning Proposal (Stage 1) has been shaped by the findings and recommendations of the Shire Wide Heritage Study and other relevant heritage studies, community consultation, decisions from the Local Planning Panel and elected Council, and a Gateway Determination from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.

Community members have helped contribute to the Shire Wide Heritage Study and Planning Proposal over the past three years to update existing heritage items and identify potential places and items for local heritage listing, to retain a sense of the past for current and future generations.

Background

Need for Review

Council’s last Heritage Study was adopted in 1992, and after 30 years, the heritage study and listings are due for review. A review of the existing heritage list and identification of new items for protection is a direct action in Wollondilly 2040 – Local Strategic Planning Statement: Planning Priority 7 – Cultivating a Creative and Cultural Destination Connecting People with Places.

Studies

A pre-study community engagement project was undertaken in early 2022, in which a number of potential heritage items were nominated by the community for further investigation. This was called the ‘Protecting Our Heritage’ consultation. The Heritage Study project was divided into two stages. Stage 1 covered the localities of Appin, Thirlmere, Warragamba and Menangle and was undertaken in 2020-21. The Shire-Wide Heritage Study (Stage 2) was undertaken in 2022-23 and covered the remainder of the Shire. The aim of the heritage study project was to update existing heritage items already listed in the Wollondilly LEP, and identify potential new heritage items for listing, including suggestions we received from the pre-study community engagement.

The Planning Proposal

Preliminary notification of the Planning Proposal to update the heritage list was carried out from 18 September to 16 October 2023. The Planning Proposal was considered by the Local Planning Panel and Council in its December 2023 meetings. They resolved that the Planning Proposal should progress (with some revisions) to allow further investigation and assessment of each item. Gateway determination was granted by Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure 29 January 2024, and an extension of time to fulfill the requirements of the gateway determination has been granted to 27 June 2025.

Amendments, Investigations and Public Exhibition

On 12 December 2023, Council considered a report and resolved to support the principle of the Stage 1 proposal progressing subject to amendments. Council also required additional analysis and further investigation of heritage merit for certain items.

Public exhibition of the revised Planning Proposal was undertaken 27 February to 20 March 2024. Additional investigation has been carried out and has included heritage review inspections (site inspections), an independent peer review, and further research.

A report, which assesses the submissions made at the public exhibition and the further heritage investigations, was considered by Council on 25 March 2025. Council made some revisions and resolved that the Planning Proposal could be finalised.

Delegation

Council has not been delegated as the Local Plan Making Authority to make this amendment.

Privacy

Council may be required to release your written comments or submissions to an applicant under the Government Information (Public Access) Act, 2009 or Local Government Act, 1993 that impose obligations on us to release documents in certain circumstances.