Assessment of Queensland Heritage Places

A Queensland Heritage Place (sometimes known as a State heritage place) is a place with a cultural heritage significance for the people of Queensland.

The Queensland planning framework establishes the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) as the entity responsible for assessing proposed development for impacts on the cultural heritage significance of a Queensland heritage place.

However, in some instances, a Queensland heritage place may also be recognised by local government as a local heritage place in its local government planning scheme, therefore having significance at both a local and state level (i.e. a ‘dual heritage’ place).

To ensure duplication of development assessment does not occur, the Planning Act 2016 provides

• a local categorising instrument (such as a planning scheme) cannot include an assessment benchmark about the effect or impact of a proposed development on the cultural heritage significance of a Queensland heritage place.
• in assessing an impact assessable development application, a local government cannot consider the effect or impact of the proposed development on a cultural heritage significance of a Queensland heritage place as a relevant matter.
• only SARA can impose a condition on a development application about the effect or impact of development on a cultural heritage significance of a Queensland heritage place.