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Heritage Incentives Scheme - Summary of Improvements!
The Heritage Incentives Scheme Operating Guidelines and the Built Heritage Management Policy (which the guidelines sit under) have both been updated by Council recently.
Below is a summary of some of the changes and improvements to the Scheme. For a complete understanding of the amendments to the HIS, please read the HIS Operating Guidelines (PDF, 93Kb) in full. Alternatively, contact Council’s Heritage Project Officer on (08) 8203 7445 or h.mail@adelaidecitycouncil.com to discuss further.
● Applications for the Heritage Incentives Scheme will now be accepted at any point in the year. Grant rounds no longer apply.
● The five year time period between maximum grants has been removed.
● The funding levels under the HIS have increased. Owners can now apply for:
● Documentation & Professional Advice - 50% of the total costs up to a maximum grant of $10k
● Minor Conservation Works - 50% of the total costs up to a maximum grant of $20k
● Major Conservation Works - 50% of the total costs for the first $200k and 25% of the remaining costs up to a maximum grant of $250k
● State Heritage owners can now apply for funding under the HIS without refusal of funding from the State first.
● Some Development Application fees can now be waived. When an owner lodges a development application for conservation work to a heritage property the fees normally charged by Council will be paid from the HIS budget – no cost to the owner. Note: other fees required by the State Government such as the State Heritage Referral fee and the Construction Industry Training Levy will still need to be paid by the owners and cannot be waived or subsidised by Council.
● Council can also now waive selected permit fees (e.g. building works permits) incurred by the owner during the conservation works. These costs will be paid from the HIS budget.
● Owners of historic character buildings which are not heritage listed can now apply for funding. As a first step, Council staff will facilitate an assessment of the building against the local heritage criteria in the Development Act 1993 and if relevant, the state heritage criteria in the Heritage Act 1993. If the building satisfies either criterion for listing the owner must then enter into a Land Management Agreement (LMA). The LMA will be placed on the land title and thereby applicable for current and future owners for the length of the agreed term. The costs of the heritage assessment and to enter into the LMA will be funded as part of the HIS funds available via the ‘Professional Advice and Documentation’ category – no cost to the owner. Both the assessment and LMA must be complete to be eligible for funding. Note: the LMA obligates current and future owners to support Development Plan policy changes to enable heritage listing and to only lodge development applications for works that reinforce the building’s heritage value.
As the most substantial local government heritage grants scheme in Australia, the Heritage Incentives Scheme aims to maintain the essence of the scheme while being committed to improving the service and assistance levels for the City of Adelaide heritage and historic character building owners.
Evidence of the scheme’s advice and funding can be seen in nearly every street within the City of Adelaide. These buildings dramatically improve the appearance and value of Adelaide’s character streetscapes and layout.