City of Fremantle
Coastal Charm
Where heritage listings apply
Heritage listings apply to a ‘place’. ‘Place’ means site, area, land, landscape, building or other work, group of buildings or other works, and may include components, contents, spaces and views (refer to the Burra Charter for further details).
Therefore, listed places can include buildings and places such as precincts or heritage areas, sites which may include buildings which have been demolished, limestone features and landscapes.
There are a number of different types of heritage listing, each with different implications. These include:
Identified by UNESCO, very few places meet the threshold for world heritage listing. Fremantle Prison is the only site in Perth currently listed, and one of only four in Western Australia.
These fall under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and are administered by the federal department of Environment. Only Fremantle Prison is in this category within the City of Fremantle.
These places fall under the Heritage Act 2018. They are administered by the state Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, and the Heritage Council of Western Australia. A number of places in Fremantle are on the state register, including Arthur Head, the West End and over 280 other individual sites.
Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 these places are administered by the state Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. Registered sites in Fremantle include the Swan River (Derbarl Yerrigan) and Cantonment Hill. Others are under investigation or have other significance such as Manjaree (Arthur Head) and The Roundhouse.
Under the City of Fremantle Planning Scheme (and planning regulations), these places are administered by the City of Fremantle. This list currently includes around 2,500 sites, with special protection under the planning scheme.
These also fall under the City of Fremantle Planning Scheme (and regulations) and are administered by the City of Fremantle. There are currently 23 heritage areas including Central Fremantle, North Fremantle, South Fremantle and Hilton.
This is created under the Heritage Act 2018 and administered by the City of Fremantle. This list is a database which identifies places of heritage significance and interest within the City, not just those places listed above which have statutory/legal protection.
All places on the Heritage List are on the Local Heritage Survey but not all places on the survey are also on the list. The Local Heritage Survey used to be called the Municipal Heritage Inventory (or MHI).
The City of Fremantle’s Local Planning Scheme 4 heritage list is comprised of around 2500 places, which council has assessed as being of cultural heritage significance and worthy of conservation. The objectives of the Heritage List are to facilitate the conservation of places of heritage value and ensure that development occurs with due regard to identified heritage values in the interest of the community.
View the City of Fremantle Heritage List
Important Note
Some places on the heritage list are registered against a previous property address or as part of a larger site. Please check the City’s mapping system to confirm current address details and heritage status, along with the above heritage list.
Local Planning Scheme 4 (LPS4) also has 18 heritage areas. These are areas where special planning control is needed to conserve and enhance the cultural heritage significance and character of an area. Heritage Areas often include individually listed places, but even places not significant enough to go on the Heritage List in their own right can contribute to the significance of a heritage area.
View City of Fremantle Heritage Areas
Both heritage listed properties and heritage areas can be found on the City’s maps under the heritage module. The Heritage List identifies each place by name and address only and does not include any other data. More information on heritage listed properties is contained within the Local Heritage Survey, or LHS (see below).
Places on the Heritage List or in a Heritage Area enjoy special protection under the planning scheme. Heritage listings and areas do not prohibit any development of a place – it means that changes made should respect and be sympathetic to the heritage values of the place. In most circumstances, development within these places requires planning approval so that the City’s heritage staff can assess the impact of a proposal on the heritage significance of a particular place and ensure that this principle is met. The assessment will consider:
Those places listed on the State Heritage Office of Western Australia’s Register of Heritage Places will also be referred by the City to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage: See other heritage listings for more information.
As part of the planning application process and prior to the approval of any proposal for the development of a heritage listed place, the City may prepare or require the applicant to prepare a heritage assessment in accordance with local planning policy 1.6 preparation of heritage assessments .
If you require additional information about heritage listings, contact the Service and Information centre on 1300 MY FREO (1300 693 736) or email planning@fremantle.wa.gov.au.
The Local Heritage Survey (LHS) (previously called the Municipal Heritage Inventory or ‘MHI’) is an information database that records and provides information on heritage listed places and places of cultural heritage significance. Local governments are required to prepare and maintain a LHS to recognise the heritage importance of places to the local community under the Heritage Act 2018.
The database records information only and does not have any legal implications for the development of land within the City of Fremantle: protection and control only applies to those places which are also included on the Heritage List, in a Heritage Area or are otherwise assessed as warranting conservation. Information from the LHS database can be accessed online through the State Heritage Office’s Inherit.
Search the City of Fremantle Local Heritage Survey (Inherit database)
The cultural heritage significance of places on the LHS have been determined in accordance with the Heritage Act 2018. This assessment is made based on the aesthetic, historic, scientific, social or spiritual value of a place for individuals or groups as described in the Burra Charter 2013 or the HERCON Criteria adopted by the Heritage Council of Western Australia..
Each place listed on the LHS is assigned a management category based on its level of significance: ‘Exceptional’, ‘Considerable’ or ‘Some’ significance. A summary of each category is provided below.
The City of Fremantle has identified this place as being of exceptional cultural heritage significance in its own right within the context of Fremantle. This place is entered onto the State Heritage Office of Western Australia’s Register of Heritage Places. All development applications must be referred to the State Heritage Office for approval.
The City of Fremantle has identified this place as being of exceptional cultural heritage significance in its own right within the context of Fremantle and its conservation is required. It is recommended that this place be considered for entry in the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register of Heritage Places.
The City of Fremantle has identified this place as being of considerable cultural heritage significance in its own right within the context of Fremantle and its conservation is a priority.
The City of Fremantle has identified this place as being of some cultural heritage significance for its contribution to the heritage of Fremantle in terms of its individual or collective aesthetic, historic, social or scientific significance, and/or its contribution to the streetscape, local area and Fremantle. Its contribution to the urban context should be maintained and enhanced.
The City of Fremantle has identified places on this place as being of interest for historical reasons and/or for structures that no longer exist. These places are part of Fremantle’s rich cultural heritage but are not included on the Heritage List.
Recognition and protection of places containing Aboriginal heritage significance is provided for by the state’s Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972. Places of Aboriginal heritage are categorised as either ‘Registered Sites’, which have the highest level of protection under the Act, or places with other recognised significance. At present, the City has:
Further information on sites of Aboriginal heritage significance within the City of Fremantle can be accessed through the Aboriginal Heritage Inquiry System, which is managed by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH).
In addition, the City’s mapping system provides information on the location of Aboriginal heritage sites and places in conjunction with other important property information: refer to the ‘Heritage’ layer and then click on the ‘Aboriginal Heritage’ toggle on the left-hand-side of the page.
The DPLH also has a number of other resources available on its website in relation to Aboriginal heritage and the Act. The DPLH are the primary authority responsible for protecting Aboriginal heritage, assisting with compliance with the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 and providing access to heritage information. Some Aboriginal heritage places are also contained on the City’s Heritage List.
The Heritage Council of Western Australia is responsible for maintaining the State Register of Heritage Places under the Heritage Act 2018. The State Register recognises and protects places of state cultural heritage significance within Western Australia. It provides statutory (legal) protection to ensure that cultural heritage values are respected, where development within a listed place is proposed. The list includes buildings, structures, gardens, cemeteries, landscapes, and archaeological sites. Inclusion on the state register is based on significance considering the following criteria:
Owners of places on the state register are eligible and are given preference for grants and incentives regarding conservation and maintenance. Funding for heritage conservation is available from sources such as the Heritage Council, LotteryWest and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Heritage.
For further information on state heritage matters, visit the Historic Heritage page of the DPLH website.
The Australian Heritage Council (AHC) is the principal adviser to the Australian Government on national heritage matters. The AHC assesses nominations for the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List. The Register of the National Estate was closed in 2007 and is no longer a statutory list but an archive of over13,000 places across Australia.
The National Heritage List was established to recognise places of outstanding heritage significance to Australia; these include places of natural, historic and Indigenous significance. There are currently 116 places on this list.
Fremantle Prison was placed on the National Heritage List in 2005 in recognition of the contribution this site makes as a physical reminder of our nation’s convict history. There are only 16 places in Western Australia on the National Heritage List including some of our state treasures such as the Ningaloo Coast.
The National Heritage List is available on the Department of Environment’s website.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works to encourage the protection and preservation of world heritage, both natural and cultural that is identified as being of significant value to the international population.
On the 1 August 2010, the Fremantle Prison was officially placed on the World Heritage List as one the 11 convict sites of Australia, in recognition of its outstanding cultural heritage significance as one of the world’s greatest landmarks and the best surviving example(s) of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts.
Fremantle Prison is one of 11 Australian Convict Sites included on the World Heritage List, which also includes Norfolk Island and Tasmania’s Port Arthur. Visit UNESCO’s World Heritage listings website.
