City Plan Major amendment - Heritage overlay provisions

Consultation has concluded

Have your say on City Plan heritage amendments.

The Gold Coast has unique and diverse Aboriginal and historical cultural heritage that is essential to its character and identity.

The City of Gold Coast (City) has a statutory obligation to identify, assess, and protect places of local cultural heritage significance for current and future generations.

We maintain a local heritage register which includes 84 heritage places that are identified as having local heritage significance. These include buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, vessels, sculptures, signs, parks, gardens, graves, memorials, monuments, trees, landscapes and archaeological sites.

To preserve our significant cultural heritage, development on local heritage sites is regulated by listing places that are of Local cultural heritage significance in the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register and identifying them on the City Plan Heritage overlay map.

To improve the protection of our local heritage places, we proposed amendments to City Plan to incorporate:

  • Updates to the ‘Strategic Framework Element - Cultural Heritage’ to improve consistency with the Heritage overlay code.
  • Additions and corrections to the mapping of nine Local heritage places and five Places in proximity to a Local heritage place.
  • New assessment provisions for building work involving demolition, partial demolition, or removal of a Local heritage place.
  • Changed levels of assessment for some types of development.
  • A new Heritage Exemption Certificate which, if meeting the requirements, can provide for minor work (such as essential repair and maintenance) on Local heritage places.
  • A new City Plan policy – Heritage management to guide development applications.

Feedback received on the amendment package during the formal public consultation period informed the final Consultation Report which was submitted to the Queensland Government with the final version of the amendment to seek Ministerial approval to proceed to adoption.


Have your say on City Plan heritage amendments.

The Gold Coast has unique and diverse Aboriginal and historical cultural heritage that is essential to its character and identity.

The City of Gold Coast (City) has a statutory obligation to identify, assess, and protect places of local cultural heritage significance for current and future generations.

We maintain a local heritage register which includes 84 heritage places that are identified as having local heritage significance. These include buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, vessels, sculptures, signs, parks, gardens, graves, memorials, monuments, trees, landscapes and archaeological sites.

To preserve our significant cultural heritage, development on local heritage sites is regulated by listing places that are of Local cultural heritage significance in the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register and identifying them on the City Plan Heritage overlay map.

To improve the protection of our local heritage places, we proposed amendments to City Plan to incorporate:

  • Updates to the ‘Strategic Framework Element - Cultural Heritage’ to improve consistency with the Heritage overlay code.
  • Additions and corrections to the mapping of nine Local heritage places and five Places in proximity to a Local heritage place.
  • New assessment provisions for building work involving demolition, partial demolition, or removal of a Local heritage place.
  • Changed levels of assessment for some types of development.
  • A new Heritage Exemption Certificate which, if meeting the requirements, can provide for minor work (such as essential repair and maintenance) on Local heritage places.
  • A new City Plan policy – Heritage management to guide development applications.

Feedback received on the amendment package during the formal public consultation period informed the final Consultation Report which was submitted to the Queensland Government with the final version of the amendment to seek Ministerial approval to proceed to adoption.


Consultation has concluded

Do you have questions about the City Plan Major amendment - Heritage overlay provisions? Post your question in the public forum and one of our planners will respond shortly.

Prefer a private discussion? Please contact us via our planning hotline 1300 151 267 or cityplansubmissions@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

Please be aware submitted questions and responses are available for public view. Please refer to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Moderation Guidelines before posting.

  • Regarding the proposed - "New assessment provisions for development involving demolition, partial demolition, or removal." - 1. Does the developer of a heritage site or building 'self assess' (ie bypass even applying to the City of Gold Coast or State Govt. for demolition of heritage site as currently occurs under the Federal EPBC Act MNES 'self assessment' process); or 2. do Council Officers who are experts in the field of Heritage conduct the assessment (open to influence by developer lobbyists, Murdoch media, and directly by developers) or 3. does a truly independent panel of Heritage experts (legal, cultural - especially when dealing with Aboriginal cultural sites and heritage - and town-planning qualifications/experience) conduct the assessment on behalf of the City of Gold Coast (less open to internal Council intimidation/persuasion, commercial media interference and lobbyists)? In short, who will make the assessments that will allow for demolition, partial demolition or removal of a heritage listed building or site and what transparent and publicly available rules/guidelines and publication of proposed decisions/outcomes will accompany the 'demolition' assessment process prior to demolition and will the Community have right of appeal over a proposed demolition, partial demolition or removal of a heritage buildings/site?

    SGration asked almost 2 years ago

    Thank you for your query 

    Under the amendments, an application for building work involving demolition or partial demolition in a Local heritage place would be Impact assessable. This is the most rigorous level of assessment, as set out under the Queensland Planning Act 2016. 

    An applicant  would be required to demonstrate how they can meet City Plan requirements, including assessment provisions that cultural heritage significance of Local heritage places is identified, protected and maintained. Under the proposed amendments, a Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) will be requested to demonstrate compliance with the City’s heritage requirements. A HIS is to be prepared by a qualified heritage professional and will need to demonstrate how a proposed a development will conserve and/or impact on the cultural heritage significance of a Local heritage place. 

    The City’s Heritage unit, which has qualified heritage professionals review any development proposals impacting/potentially impacting on Local heritage places.  

    Impact assessable development applications require a public notification period and submissions from the public are considered as part of the assessment process.

    Kind regards

    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team 

  • Does the list include the old Post Office in Tallebudgera valley?? It should be protected. Rex

    Rexxie asked almost 2 years ago

    Thank you for your enquiry and concern for the former Tallebudgera Post Office in Trees Road Tallebudgera which was first opened in 1878.

    As a building of heritage significant it is on the Local Heritage Register (LHR0017).

    The building is a City of Gold Coast asset and is situated in Post Office Park and it is not affected by the City Plan Major Amendment - Heritage Overlay Provisions.

    Kind regards

    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team

  • The proposed amendments do not appear to include indigenous areas of significance and any new public structures for the recognition of these sites (Ie meeting points/ bora rings, midens, burial sites) How is this being reconciled with the local archives and cultural groups?

    Pierre Tapper Building Design asked almost 2 years ago
    Thank you for your enquiry, Aboriginal Parties for the Gold Coast area are being consulted in regards to the proposed amendments, which include regard for the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Duty of Care.

    The Gold Coast Heritage overlay amendments include an additional nine places which have been entered onto the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register. It is not within the scope of the current amendment to add places which are not currently entered onto the register.

    Please note the City of Gold Coast has a process for anyone to propose a place for entry onto the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register at any time. There is no application fee. 

    The fact sheet can be found here (external link): The application form can be found here (external link)::

    You may send your completed application form to: heritage@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.


    Kind regards

    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team

  • Would like to know more in regards to pimpama rifle range

    Kc2558 asked about 2 years ago

    Thank you for your enquiry about the Pimpama Rifle Range.  


    To learn more about the cultural heritage significance of the Pimpama Rifle Range, please view the heritage citation available here: https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/Council-region/About-our-city/History-heritage/Local-heritage-register


    If you would like further information please call our hotline 1300 151 267. You can also visit us in person by registering for one of our Talk to a Planner sessions . 


    Kind regards 


    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team

  • I’d like to see the use of QR Codes on Council Infrastructure that has or reflects history, e.g. Names of Street, Parks, Beaches, Creeks, Rivers & Bridge, Lookouts, etc, so any person can scan the QR Code when at that location and read a short story on its historical significant. Digitise our environ, keeping legacies alive and reducing ignorance, promoting reading. You could even have short video clips. This would address both the curious mind and those impulsive queries that’ll be forgotten if left to searching Council records like some responses given to ideas raised here already.

    G-Free2Explore asked almost 2 years ago

    Thank you for your suggestions.  The City of Gold Coast's Heritage Unit will consider your suggestions for potential future development.

    Kind regards

    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team

     

  • Does it include culturally significant sites like the Kombumerri fish traps at Tallebudgera creek and the significant sites including Jellurgal? older and more heritage than a fibro beach shack built in the 50’s

    Megan Brodhurst-Hill asked almost 2 years ago
    Thank you for your enquiry.  It is not within the scope of the current amendment to add places which are not currently entered onto the City of Gold Coat Local Heritage Register.

    Council has a process for anyone to propose a place for entry onto the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register at any time. There is no application fee. 

    The fact sheet can be found here (external link):

    The application form can be found here (external link):

    You may send your completed application form to: heritage@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.

    Please note that entry of Aboriginal cultural heritage onto the City of Gold Coast Local Heritage Register will require the approval of the relevant Aboriginal Party.


    Kind regards 

    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team

  • I would love to see information boards explaining how the various canals, etc. we're designed and constructed - what was there before.

    Kirtley asked about 2 years ago

    Thank you for your query, the canal country as we know it was originally referred to as the ‘Great Swamp’ and the land was either swamp or farmland. The land was slowly reclaimed as a flood mitigation program and the state government initiated the ‘Canals Act’.

    The Southport Local Studies Library (LSL) has a vast repository of historic material relating to the development of the canals. 

    Kind regards

    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team

  • Why are the Indigenous fishing traps in Tallebudgera Creek not be included in the heritage list? This seems absurd. Is there a possibility they will be added? Probably the most important location on the Southern GC along with the Midins at Jellurgal.

    Sarah Brown 78 asked almost 2 years ago

    Thank you for your enquiry. It is not within the scope of the current amendment to add places which are not currently entered onto the City of Gold Coast Local Heritage Register.

    Council has a process for anyone to propose a place for entry onto the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register at any time. There is no application fee. 

    The fact sheet can be found here (external link):

    The application form can be found here (external link):

    You may send your completed application form to: heritage@goldcoast.qld.gov.au.

    Please note that entry of Aboriginal cultural heritage onto the City of Gold Coast Local Heritage Register will require the approval of the relevant Aboriginal Party.

    Kind regards

    Strategic Urban and Regional Planning Team