Heritage Assistance Funds

Bathurst Region Heritage Fund

Bathurst Regional Council, with support from the NSW Heritage Branch of the Office of Environment and Heritage, offers the Bathurst Region Heritage Assistance Fund aimed at supporting local property owners and community groups to restore, repair, promote and interpret the region’s heritage. 

The fund, in its various forms over the years, has proven to be a very popular and successful grant program offered by Council. Since the inception of Council's first heritage grant program in 1996, and the introduction of funding support for interpretation and CBD projects, Council has jointly funded over 1100 projects with a value of works completed of over $11 million.

In previous years, the fund was offered as three separate funds with separate applications and allocation schemes for each type. Given that interest has reduced for certain types of projects, Council has streamlined the scheme and has consolidated the three funds into one combined fund to ensure that funding continues to be provided toward the worthiest projects. 

Important information:

• For residential or commercial buildings, the property must be located within a heritage conservation area, be identified as a local or state heritage item or be at least over 50 years of age.
• Maintenance or conservation works must have a minimum value of works at $3,000.00.
• No minimum value of works for interpretation, research and promotion projects.
• An applicant can only apply for one grant per year. Multiple projects at multiple addresses under one applicant's name will be assessed as one application.
• Grants will be a maximum of $5,000.
• The maximum grant cannot be more than 50% of the project value except for applications made by community/not for profit groups for community projects.

Projects eligible for funding:

Conservation/maintenance

• Repainting older buildings, including houses and shops. 
• Repairing walls, verandahs, windows or roof plumbing on older buildings.
• Repairing proven historic fences on heritage items or around cemeteries. 
• Repairing rising/falling damp by proven restoration methods*.
• Repairing and conserving older buildings, historic remnants or grave sites.
• Repairing structural components eg underpinning/repointing brickwork.
• Projects that involve an improvement or the repair, maintenance  and reinstatement of missing detail in accordance with the recommendations Council’s Main Street Study.
• Removal of obtrusive additions or inappropriate signage.
• Work that improves the pedestrianisation of the CBD.
• Public art/public place-making projects.

Interpretation/Promotion

• Projects within the CBD that activate the CBD streets and attract more people into the CBD.
• Projects that document and interpret the region's heritage and history.
• Preparation of Conservation Management Plans.
• Preparation of heritage interpretation strategies or implementation plans.
• Signage, websites, local histories, exhibitions and displays.
• Projects with a focus on interpreting local Wiradjuri history.

*NOTE: Before you lodge an application for repairs relating to rising/falling damp you must arrange an onsite meeting with Council's Senior Heritage Planner and Heritage Advisor to discuss the method proposed.

Projects not eligible for funding:

Conservation/Maintenance

• Fencing other than repairs to original historic front fences to a heritage item or fencing around a cemetery.
• Colour schemes that are not period correct.
• Internal works unless:
  • the building is a heritage item that is normally open to members of the public (year-round) and the works are repairs and/or reinstatement of original fabric (internal repainting is not eligible for funding).
  • the works involve the repair/replacement of underfloor timbers or timbers in the roof space.
• Additions, alterations and new works that are not original to the building other than the reinstatement of original fabric.
• Chemical damp proofing.
• Structural supports under non-original verandah awnings.
• Rising/falling damp methods that are not approved by Council's Senior Heritage Planner/Heritage Advisor.

Interpretation/Promotion

• Publication/printing of second additions.
• Personal family histories.

If you are unsure whether your project is eligible, please call Council's Senior Heritage Planner on 02 6333 6272.