Guidelines for Cemetery Conservation - National Trust of Australia

GUIDELINES FOR CEMETERY CONSERVATION
PART THREE - HOW
Councils have a heritage study available at local libraries and these may give you ownership
information. Otherwise local Council officers can usually tell you.
If you do not know already, find out who owns the grave plot from the controlling authority.
It helps if you have the section and grave plot number to clarify ownership of graves. The
authority may require the owner’s permission and may also require assurance that other
relatives or descendants are agreeable to the proposed work (see Part 4, Appendix 6, Sections
6.1.3-6.1.5).
Find out if the cemetery is listed as a heritage item by local, State or national government.
Such a listing will help you to identify the most appropriate way to carry out the work.
Check the Commonwealth lists through
www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/index.html
Check the State Heritage Inventory on line at
www.heritage.nsw.gov.au
for listings on the State Heritage Register. This Inventory also shows local government
listings, but the relevant Council should be contacted for the latest listings.
The Council’s Local Environment Plan may give further details.
For further information on the significance of a particular cemetery you can contact the NSW
National Trust on 9258 0123. If it has been Classified by the National Trust this provides
generally recognised evidence that the site is important, which may assist in lobbying or
applications for grants. The Trust also has (generally brief) descriptions and evaluations of
most cemeteries in NSW.
1.3.3 Heritage checklist for work
Cemeteries protected by statutory heritage listings sometimes have special requirements or
controls for work. This checklist will help you to identify who may need to "sign-off" on
your proposed works.
1) Is the item (or place) on the State Heritage Register? If so you should write down very
clearly what you propose to do and then check if it is covered by
a) Standard Exemptions (eg maintenance or weeding), currently (2009) given at
www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/docs/Standard_Exemptions.pdf
Standard Exemptions generally do not require detailed applications, but you
must still advise the Heritage Office so that they can check that your work is
exempt.
b) Site Specific Exemptions previously agreed to by the NSW Heritage Council.
c) a Conservation Management Plan or Conservation Policy for the place, which
the Heritage Office may have endorsed.
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