Pre-Planning
Developers may benefit from heritage based advice when scoping potential sites for development, or when considering options for converting, refurbishing or adding to existing buildings. Most times, plans will have the potential to affect heritage assets and their settings, and early advice from a heritage consultant could be invaluable in avoiding unnecessary future delays in the planning process.
At BCN, we are always happy to offer informal advice or comment on any initial plans or sites from a heritage perspective, flagging potential ‘show-stoppers’ or areas where plans might benefit from alteration to avoid or mitigate potential heritage issues once a planning application has been submitted.
Heritage Impact Assessment
A heritage impact assessment is a site-specific document, normally produced in support of planning applications directly or indirectly affecting a heritage site.
BCN provides methodological, precise and simple to understand heritage impact assessments to support your development. Whether at the start of a project or trying to meet conditions of consent, our team can assist you to meet the requirements of heritage and consent authorities. The complexity, nature and legislative requirements of your project will dictate whether you need a full statement of heritage impact, significance assessment or minor works exemption.
With our knowledge and experience, BCN can provide the advice you need to understand your heritage requirements and the documentation necessary to take your project from inception through to final completion and certification.
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLANS
At the centre of any conservation strategy is statement of significance that is underpinned by a through understanding of the place. A Conservation Management Plan (CMP) articulates what is significant about a place and provides critical guidance for protecting that significance into the future. More than this, it aids decision making when planning changes to a heritage place.
BCN has extensive experience in the preparation, review and endorsement of CMPs.
We can provide also advise on what other types of management planning tools may serve your purposes. These could include conservation management strategies, asset maintenance plans, condition reports or any combination of these.
TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
Preserving our historic environment is recognised as a key component of delivering sustainable infrastructure programmes. Across urban, regional, and remote areas Australia has growing transport infrastructure needs across road, rail, ports, and airports driven to a significant degree by our strong population growth.
Our staff has extensive experience working with the former Roads and Maritime Services, Transport for NSW and John Holland Rail on the heritage management of transport related infrastructure and in assessing heritage impacts of major infrastructure projects. Services include Aboriginal and historical heritage assessments, management plans, and interpretation.
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Historic places have a story to tell.
Whether it is to inform a planning proposal, support a potential heritage listing, or simply satisfy a homeowner’s curiosity uncovering the story of their house, BCN Heritage undertakes historical research of any scale.
Sometimes historical records can hold a huge amount of information, sometimes very little. Using our academic training we take a flexible but rigorous approach to historical research to help you achieve your goals.
Typically, we would search all available archives and records sets from newspapers, war diaries, historical publications, maps, diaries, audio records and even satellite images.
We can help you source archive material, write descriptive texts that are as detailed or concise as you require, present our findings as reports or as interpretative materials or liaise with other professionals, supplying them with the information they need.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The most important heritage sites are those places that the community holds dearest. We know that the community is not one homogeneous group. We actively engage with communities to put them at the heart of their own development by engaging in strategies, projects, needs assessments or evaluations that affect them.
We are big believers in co-design. This is about providing ways in which communities can take part in designing their future. Why? Because we want to create societies that are equitable, where we all meet individuals according to what they need, on their own terms.
We’re interested in sharing good practice and learning from other initiatives as well as offering support and intervention around our broad scope of community engagement skills.
Heritage Interpretation
Interpretation is a process which at its core goal seeks to enhance meaning; helping visitors attach positive meanings and values to their onsite experiences of places with significant natural and/or cultural heritage.
Although it may be as simple as signage, today interpretation can encompass a wide range of mediums including print and electronic publications, lectures, on-site and related off-site installations, educational programs, community activities and 3d scanning to name a few.
We provide specialist heritage interpretation services including heritage interpretation strategies, heritage interpretation plans, publications and programs, content development across physical and digital media and interpretation design advice. I prepare our heritage interpretation in accordance with best practice guides and relevant government guides.
Aboriginal Due Diligence Assessments
BCN Heritage provides field assessments and analysis to meet the requirements of legislation in relation to the protection and management of Aboriginal objects. Applying best practice methods, we can help identify potential Aboriginal sites and places and provide mitigation to ensure that your project is compliant with relevant legislation and meets community requirements.
We are also able to provide advice on how to undertake consultation with the Aboriginal community including formal and informal consultation requirements.
