An initial submission by HHA to this review considered the objectives or purposes of the Heritage Act, and the mechanisms used to meet these objectives. The mechanisms provide the framework for implementing the Heritage Act. The current mechanisms seem focused on compliance. Are these mechanisms protecting our heritage effectively?  An initial HHA submission asks the committee to consider all the objectives of the Heritage Act. 

The Historic Houses Association of Australia (HHA) objects to the current proposal for 5 – 9 Sandy Bay Road Hobart. The Hobart villas along Hampden Road and within the vicinity are rare and should be valued for their important historical significance and tourism potential. The current proposed development’s height will destroy the connection many of these historical homes have enjoyed since the 1820s with the St David’s Park, Derwent River and views to other parts of Hobart. Many of the original gardens and homes will be overshadowed in both light and bulk based on what is being proposed. 

The North Richmond northern bypass option for the Richmond Bridge duplication project will have a serious impact on 'Durham Bowes', also known as 'Dights Farm', at 22 Inalls Lane Richmond. The option proposes to widen Inalls Lane and divert the road through the sites of the 1802 land grants of Bowman and Dight which are of historic and archaeological significance.

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HHA strongly advocates against the North Richmond northern bypass option. To reduce traffic congestion between Richmond and North Richmond and build for future growth HHA recommends selecting one of the four other options for the Richmond Bridge duplication route, an option that does not adversely impact significant heritage properties and landscapes. 

The Historic Houses Association of Australia (HHA) has thrown its weight behind the campaign to preserve the Powerhouse Museum in its current location and save some of Parramatta’s most treasured heritage buildings.

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At an estimated cost of $2 billion, the proposed relocation of the Powerhouse would see the loss of one of Sydney’s premier museums and the demolition of eight 140 -year old heritage-listed houses in Parramatta to build a new museum half its size.

“It would be an absurd irony if these heritage buildings were demolished to build a museum of heritage” says HHA Chair Tim Duddy; “Parramatta is Australia’s second oldest settlement and it is essential that its remaining colonial and nineteenth century architecture is preserved.”

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The heritage buildings under threat are Willow Grove, built in the 1870s, which provides an oasis in the Parramatta CBD, and a complete row of seven terrace houses - St Georges Terrace (1881).

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“Instead of bulldozing our shared history, the Government should be restoring these houses and integrating them into any future developments in the area.” says Duddy.

HHA joins with the National Trust in calling for a moratorium on any action to demolish these heritage structures. HHA also supports the North Parramatta Residents Action Group and Save the Powerhouse whose respective petitions to save local heritage and to keep the Powerhouse in Ultimo have gathered over 20,000 signatures from concerned citizens of both cities.

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HHA calls on the NSW state Government, as custodian of these properties and the Powerhouse Museum treasures, to ensure that this irreplaceable heritage is secured for present and future generations.

Help us save Mount Gilead from the developers.

In 1812 Governor Macquarie granted land to Reuben Uther and it remains one of the few intact land grants of that era and is still a working farm. Plans are afoot to sell the land to Lend Lease to develop 20,000 houses in the Appin area.
In 1993, such plans were put on hold due to environment concerns about pollution to the nearby Nepean River, now we have even more concerns about the subdivision of the land.

Mount Gilead boasts an 1836 windmill, one of the oldest surviving in Australia. In 1824 Thomas Rose built a sand stone water reservoir, the earliest private example again still surviving. The grain store is reputed to have been designed by Francis Greenway. 

It is home to many scar trees of significance to local aboriginal people. Mount Gilead is located at the point where the Nepean and Georges Rivers are the closest and is the last remaining wildlife corridor and koala habitat lands between these two major rivers in the Sydney Basin. 

Mount Gilead was included in the State Heritage Inventory and in 2015 the National Trust noted that Mount Gilead was of exceptional importance as a cultural landscape on account of the nationally rare surviving features within it and its intactness as an estate. Yet the NSW Government has done nothing to stop this development. Please voice your concerns by writing to the Minister for the Environment The Hon. Gabrielle Upton 330 New South Head Rd, Double Bay NSW 2028 before it is too late.

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And please sign the petition:

https://www.change.org/p/gabrielle-upton-save-heritage-and-koalas-of-mt-gilead