FAQs

If you are not sure whether your building or site of project is a heritage item, you can call Council's Planning Department via 6333 6211, or you can type in your address and check the heritage status on the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer accessible here. 

Council has assessed all buildings in the Bathurst CBD, including residential and commercial buildings, and has created a study sheet for each individual building which recommends maintenance, conservation and design improvement guidance with the aim of elevating the presentation of heritage buildings in the CBD. The study as a whole is available on Council's website. If you would like a copy of the recommendations for your specific building, call the Planning department via 6333 6211 or email council@bathurst.nsw.gov.au to place your request. 

In anticipation of grant applications opening, you should prepare the following:

1. A quote for the work to be carried out
2. Photos of the area to be targeted
3. Photo of the front of the building (if a conservation project)
4. Any owner's permission letters that may be required (if you do not own the land where the project will be carried out) 
5. Any supporting reports from professionals, such as a structural engineering report, a Conservation Management Plan or other heritage advice 
6. Arrange an onsite Heritage Day meeting with Council's Senior Heritage Planner and Heritage Advisor 

The length of time that applications are usually open for each year can vary, but generally remain open for 4-7 weeks. 

Council expects that where grant funding is offered toward a project, that it is completed by a specific date. Usually, this is in early May, leaving about 10 months for you to complete your project. Any projects that are not completed by the specified date will not be able to access the heritage grant in full. 

A condition of Council offering a grant toward a successful project is that the project must be completed prior to the grant period ending (i.e. before early May of the following year). Council will not issue grant money to projects that are incomplete. 

To receive the grant, you must complete the 'Final Report' document received with your grant offer, provide copies of paid receipts/invoices relevant to the project, and photos of the completed work to demonstrate that the project has been completed. 

A validated Aboriginal Object is an artefact, culturally scarred tree or other object that has been registered as an Aboriginal Object under the definition of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and has been entered into the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS). The protection of an Aboriginal object that has not been validated in this way, such as a spearhead found on your property but which has not formally registered to AHIMS, cannot be supported by Council's heritage grant program.

The Bathurst Local Aboriginal Land Council and/or an Aboriginal person with suitable archaeological qualifications must be involved early in your project to ensure that the protection method and management of the validated Aboriginal Object is to be carried out in a culturally appropriate way and with the right permits as required by the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. You must provide written evidence that you have engaged with relevant Aboriginal stakeholders in applying for a grant support for the protection of a validated Aboriginal Object to demonstrate this.