Standard steps and procedures for managing heritage in NSW
In NSW, the steps to managing heritage are:
- investigate significance
- assess significance
- manage significance
Each step has standard procedures that can and should be applied to all types of heritage items and which apply to any level of significance, local, state, national or world.
Expand items below to see the procedure and guidance documents for each step.
Steps for managing heritage in NSW
Step 1 - Investigate significance
- Investigate the item’s historical context
- Investigate relevant communities’ understanding of the item
- Identify local historical themes and relate them to the NSW history themes
- Investigate the item’s history
- Investigate the item’s fabric
Publications to guide people investigating heritage significance:
Step 2 - Assess significance
- Summarise what you know about the item
- Describe the previous and current uses of the item, its associations with individuals or groups and its meaning for those people
- Assess significance using the NSW heritage assessment criteria
- Check whether you can make a sound analysis of the item’s heritage significance
- Determine the item’s level of significance
- Prepare a succinct statement of heritage significance
- Get feedback from the community and stakeholders
- Succinctly write up all your information in plain English
Publications to guide people assessing heritage significance:
Step 3 - Manage significance
- Analyse the management implications of the item’s level of significance
- Investigate the opportunities and limits arising out of the item’s significance (including appropriate uses, activities or practices essential to significance)
- Understand owner and user requirements
- Prepare conservation and management recommendations
- Get feedback from the community and stakeholders
- Identify statutory controls and their relationship to the item’s significance
- Recommend a process for carrying out the conservation and management policies and actions
Publications to guide people managing heritage significance:
- Statement of best practices for CMP
- Statement of best practice for HAAS
- Guidance for CMPs
- CMP checklist
- CMP author consultant brief
- Objects in their place: Applying the NSW movable heritage principles
- Guidelines for Archaeological Management Plans
- Skeletal Remains: guidelines for management of human skeletal remains under the Heritage Act 1977