Local Heritage Assistance Fund

Each year, Inverell Shire Council with assistance from the Heritage Branch of the Office of Environment and Heritage offers small grants to property owners through the Local Heritage Assistance Fund (the Fund) for maintenance works on older buildings in the local government area.

Combined with the Heritage Office’s grant, the Fund for 2024/25 totals $56,000.00

This grant funding is used as an incentive to assist property owners of heritage listed items that are identified in the Inverell Shire Council Local Environmental Plan and encourage as much positive work on heritage items in the area as possible.

Projects funded through this program may include (and not be limited to): conservation works and maintenance works projects; adaptive reuse projects; urban design projects that support heritage; interpretation projects; and conservation management plans.

PROJECTS THAT ARE NORMALLY FUNDED

• repairing walls, verandahs, windows or roof plumbing on older buildings,
• repairing or reconstructing traditional front fences or other boundary work to protect older houses or sites, and
• repairing and conserving older buildings, historic remnants or grave sites.

 FUNDING WILL NOT BE PROVIDED FOR

• new buildings, extensions or unsympathetic work,
• routine maintenance (eg lawn mowing, gutter cleaning or carpet cleaning),
• projects where adequate funding is available from the applicant or other sources,
• projects where substantial government assistance has been previously provided,
• projects where the applicant has yet to complete other assisted projects,
• new commemorative monuments or works,
• purchase of heritage buildings,
• relocation of buildings or work to relocated buildings,
• private headstones, unless there is no possibility of descendant support for the project.

It is Council’s aim to assist as many local heritage owners as possible and as such the Fund is administered on this basis. Following assessment of the applications, funding will be allocated in accordance with the scope and scale of each project.

In this regard, Council applies the Funding priorities and criteria listed below in assessment of applications. Other factors for consideration are the project scale, scope of works required, necessity, and application quality.

In all cases, the property owner will be required to provide at least matching finance for the project.