Municipal Inventory of Heritage Places

Our heritage is based on those aspects of our past that we want to keep. They may evoke special meaning for us as individuals or members of a community and reflect particular customs or beliefs. These include elements in our environment such as a place which has played an important role in our history, a building which is a rare example of an architectural style, or a natural feature such as a rock formation, fossil site or landscape. It is this inheritance which we may wish to pass on to future generations to enjoy.

The Shire of Chapman Valley commissioned the compilation of the original Municipal Inventory in November of 1995. The Shire reviewed the document through 2011 and adopted the updated Municipal Inventory in 2012.

Section 45 of the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990 requires the Shire to compile and maintain a Municipal Inventory of Heritage Places which includes those places the Shire and community believe are of heritage significance.

Places recorded in the Municipal Inventory are not automatically entered onto the State Heritage Office’s Register of Heritage Places as the State Register is an authoritative, comprehensive list of places throughout Western Australia that meet the criteria of cultural heritage significance. Places entered onto the State Register are subject to development control and are protected under the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990.

The places identified in the Shire of Chapman Valley’s Municipal Inventory will however be recorded within the State Heritage Office’s inHerit database which is a useful source of information on places which have heritage value but may not necessarily be listed on the State Register.

The Municipal Inventory interrelates the thematic history of Chapman Valley with the heritage survey of built fabric to provide an aid to the community to recognise and identify the essence of their surrounding heritage.

Change, development and progress are inevitable and whilst stagnation through the implementation of prohibitive preservation laws is not proposed, the enhanced awareness by individuals of their region's heritage assets is strongly encouraged.

Development proposals which reinforce those assets rather than destroy them are more likely to gain acceptance from the community where there is an enhanced awareness of the value of local assets. It is hoped that this report will reach a wide audience and assist to promote public awareness of cultural heritage.

Please find below a link to the Shire's Heritage Inventory. 

For more information please contact the Shire's Planning Department.

Municipal Inventory of Heritage Places