What We Do 

The City of Ballarat Heritage Unit sits within Strategic Planning and plays an important role in Council as well as in the Ballarat community.

 In this Section:

• What role does council play in heritage?
• The Council Plan
• Preserving Ballarat's Heritage Strategy
• Ballarat Heritage Advisory Committee
• Heritage Advisory Service 
• Preserving Our Heritage Grants Program
• Ballarat Heritage Restoration Loans Scheme
• Heritage Planning & Protection
• Ballarat Heritage Awards
• Projects
• Heritage Studies
• Heritage Education Kit
• Ballarat Heritage Database
• Latest news 
• Contact Us

 What role does council play in heritage?

Council works on many aspects of heritage:

•  it protects, curates and displays heritage (Art Gallery of Ballarat; Eureka  Centre)
•  it offers low interest loans and grants to owners of heritage
   listed properties 
•  it undertakes studies to identify our heritage and its value to
   the community
•  it provides in partnership with the State Government a heritage
   advisory service
•  it implements and administers controls on heritage properties
•  it provides basic community education material on heritage
•  it has created a heritage advisory committee that draws 
   together government, business, education and community to
   provide advice on the management and promotion of our heritage.

Council has a wide role in relation to heritage.  It looks after built heritage, heritage landscapes, collects heritage objects and promotes our heritage.

A number of Council strategies guide the heritage programs for the City of Ballarat such as the Council Plan and Preserving Ballarat's Heritage Strategy.

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The Council Plan

Council’s major strategic planning document, the Council Plan, sets out the strategic direction for Council over the four years of its term of office and outlines the key programs and projects that will be delivered by Council.  The Statement of Intent states that:

Council will respect and promote Ballarat's cultural, built and natural heritage and embrace these values in planning for our future. (2009 - 2013)

Click here to view the full version of the Council Plan.

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Preserving Ballarat's Heritage Strategy

The Preserving Ballarat's Heritage Strategy outlines positive initiatives and actions that Council is undertaking, in partnership with the community, to assist owners of heritage properties preserve an important part of Ballarat’s identity.

The strategy was earmarked in the Council Plan 2009-13 to minimise the incidence of ‘demolition by neglect’ and encourage conservation of heritage buildings.

In 2011, the Heritage Council of Victoria awarded the City of Ballarat the Heritage Council Award in recognition of the city's outstanding and innovative heritage strategy, "Preserving Ballarat's Heritage". 

In 2010, the Victorian Division of Australia's peak planning professional organisation, the Planning Institute of Australia, has recognised the quality of the City of Ballarat's work with an award for planning excellence in Heritage for the "Preserving Ballarat's Heritage" strategy.

Click here to download a summary of the Preserving Ballarat's Heritage Strategy (182KB).
Click here to download the full version of the Preserving Ballarat's Heritage Strategy (261KB).

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