Lake Macquarie City Council in New South Wales has received a 2012 Planning Institute of Australia Award for Excellence for its new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Planning Framework.
Council’s Manager Integrated Planning, Sharon Pope, said she was delighted that Council’s commitment to working with the Aboriginal community to protect cultural heritage sites in the area had been recognised.
“This award acknowledges the work we have done with the Aboriginal community over many years to understand and preserve our rich cultural heritage for future generations,” said Ms Pope.
Lake Macquarie has more than 500 known Aboriginal heritage sites within its city boundaries.
“We have worked closely with different individuals and groups through consultation, research and field trips to identify and map the areas of significant heritage value, including ancient middens, campsites and burial grounds,” Ms Pope said.
Council received the award for excellence in ‘Improving Planning Processes and Practices’ from the NSW Chapter of the Planning Institute of Australia. The award recognises ‘achievements in translating planning policy into improved processes and practices on the ground.’
“Greater involvement of the Aboriginal community in the planning process has meant we can streamline development assessment by identifying sensitive sites up front,” Ms Pope said.
Before the new framework was introduced in January 2012, a developer was required to undertake their own research and consultation with Aboriginal representatives to determine if a land parcel had potential Aboriginal cultural heritage values.
In contrast, the new framework provides efficient access to information as to where there are potential heritage values on a property via Lake Macquarie’s website.
Developed in consultation with the local Aboriginal community, the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Council’s new framework employs a concept of Sensitive Aboriginal Cultural Landscape mapping.
New statutory provisions within the Draft Lake Macquarie Local Environment Plan 2012 that relate to Sensitive Aboriginal Culture Landscapes, introduced as part of the framework, are a first in NSW and a significant planning process innovation.
