HERITAGE ADVISORY SERVICE

Council offers a free heritage advisory service for property owners within the heritage overlay. Its provides information on what is a heritage place and links to pages on accessing funding, legislation, housing styles, paint colour schemes, planning permits and heritage overlays.

Council has adopted the Guidelines for the Assessment of Heritage Planning Applications - August 2000.pdf (PDF - 581KB) for assessing planning permit applications under the Heritage Overlay.

What is the Heritage Advisory Service

The Heritage Advisory Service is a freeservice offered by the City of Ballarat.  It is provided to City of Ballarat residents/ratepayers to help the owners and occupants of heritage places within the municipality care for those places in the most appropriate way.

Statutory Planning is also able to assist you in queries about the heritage overlay.

What is a Heritage Place?

A heritage place may be a:

• house 
• commercial building 
• public building 
• garden or tree 
• fence 
• street furniture 
• movable heritage such as farm machinery, church organ, bells, written documents 
• industrial heritage such as mining sites and relics

What type of advice is provided?

Some of the most common types of enquires relate to:

• Constructing a new building in a heritage area 
• Design, colour and location of signs on commercial buildings 
• Low interest loans for the restoration of a heritage place; 
• Heritage colour schemes 
• Design of a new 'heritage' fence 
• Restoration advice dealing with damp in masonry buildings, cracks in walls, restumping, rotting window sills, chimney repairs, etc 
• How to research the history of your house

Statutory Planning can also provide advice on developments within the heritage overlay.

How can you access the Service?

The Heritage Advisory Service can be accessed by appointment with Council's Heritage Advisor. 

Heritage advice can be provided on site or at the Council's Phoenix office, 25 Armstrong Street Sth Ballarat.  An appointment can be made by contacting Statutory Planning by phone on 03 5320 5640 or by emailing statutoryplanning@ballarat.vic.gov.au.

Any photos, plans or other information on the place that you can provide will assist in the provision of advice, particularly if you are meeting at the Council's office.

Click here for useful links to other organisations.