Previous Council Report

BACKGROUND

Parramatta City Council has received written notification from the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage of two nominations that have been put forward to list Lake Parramatta Dam Wall and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery on the NSW State Heritage Register. Both of these properties are located within the Parramatta Local Government Area.

Parramatta City Council is the landowner of the St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery site. The Lake Parramatta Dam is owned by the Land and Property Management Authority but is under the care and control of Parramatta City Council.

Both Lake Parramatta Dam and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery are currently listed In Schedule 1 - Heritage Items of State or Regional Significance in Parramatta Heritage LEP 1996 and in draft PLEP 2011.

REPORT

Lake Parramatta Dam

The Heritage Council’s State Heritage Committee considered a nomination from the Engineering Heritage Committee of Engineers Australia to list Lake Parramatta Dam Wall on the NSW State Heritage Register in late 2010. The Heritage Committee considered the Dam was of State Significance but has sought the views of Parramatta City Council on the proposed listing before progressing the nomination further. The Land and Property Management Authority support the proposed listing of Lake Parramatta Dam Wall and the proposed State Heritage Register curtilage of 10 metres around the base of the dam wall.

Lake Parramatta Dam, constructed in 1855-1856 is Australia’s earliest ‘large’ dam (meaning over 15 metres high) and the 11^th oldest dam of this type in the world. It is the oldest arched masonry dam in Australia and a number of its structural details and associations with important engineers (who designed and built it) make it rare in State and National terms. Lake Parramatta Dam has been classified by the National Trust, demonstrating the high regard and esteem in which the structure is held by heritage professionals.

St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery (cnr Church Street and Pennant Hills Road)

The Heritage Council’s State Heritage Committee will be considering a nomination to list St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery on the NSW State Heritage Register. The nomination is being considered under the Heritage Council’s Priority Places program. St Patrick’s Cemetery also has associations with the priority Convicts theme of the Heritage Council’s current Thematic Listings Program.

A listing on the State Heritage Register will provide recognition of one of Australia’s most significant burial grounds. Dating from the 1820’s, St Patrick’s is the earliest formalised Catholic cemetery in Australia. It demonstrates early recognition of the independence of Catholics in the Protestant-dominated colonial society, together with important phases in the origins, nature and development of the Catholic community in Australia. The cemetery’s 1844 Gothic-revival mortuary chapel is the oldest such chapel in Australia and an important early example of Australian religious architecture that is still used by the Capuchin community. Recent research also indicates that at least 50 convicts, including Irish patriots, are buried at the cemetery.

The Heritage Branch has also been in discussion with the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) regarding the inclusion in the proposed curtilage of the road reserves bordering the cemetery on Church Street and Pennant Hills Road, while allowing the road widening to proceed. It is considered that inclusion of these road reserves would better reflect the historic boundaries of the cemetery.

Implications of Proposed State Heritage Register listings

An analysis of the benefits and costs associated with the proposed State Heritage Register listings of Lake Parramatta Dam Wall and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery has been undertaken and are identified below:

1. Advantages

Listing on the State Heritage Register may provide opportunities to promote Council to potential and current visitors through long term promotion of the items by National Trust, Heritage Council, Engineers Australia and other organisations with interest in heritage and conservation. In the short term, the NSW Heritage Council would likely organise a formal listing ceremony with the announcement made by the Minister in the presence of the media and invitees from the heritage professional organisations. Listing in the State Heritage Register may also allow Council to access funds for maintenance and repair of the items, which are frequently offered by the NSW Heritage Council.

2. Neutral

Given the nature of these assets, no major development is likely to occur and the impact on development potential is not an issue. It is deemed that the current regular maintenance regime is exceeding requirements under the NSW Heritage Council’s maintenance standards. Any further works or activities anticipated in the foreseeable future can be made exempt from seeking permit under the Heritage Act, by way of proposing item-specific exemptions. These would be prepared by Council’s asset managers prior to the actual listing.

Council’s Manager of Strategic Asset Management has been consulted on the proposed listings and raises no issues from a Strategic Asset Management view of the listing of Lake Parramatta Dam Wall and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery on the State Heritage Register.

3. Disadvantages

In the medium to longer run, if Lake Parramatta Dam Wall and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery are listed in the State Heritage Register, a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) will need to be prepared for each item. It is fair to say that the cost will largely have to be beared by the Council, albeit it is possible that NSW Heritage Council may contribute up to 50% of the total costs towards its completion. Nonetheless, CMP’s can be prepared in house by Council staff with suitable expertise and experience.

If places are listed on the State Heritage Register, day to day activities do not require approval under the Heritage Act 1977 if they fall within the identified Standard Exemptions of the Act. In addition, the Heritage Branch frequently works with owners to develop site specific exemptions for activities which are part of the day to day running of the place so that approvals from the Heritage Council under the Heritage Act are not required.

Advice has been provided that the Heritage Branch is happy to work with Parramatta Council and the RTA to enable the development of such exemptions for the St Patrick’s Cemetery State heritage Register listing.

CONCLUSION

On balance, there are enormous benefits to the listing of Lake Parramatta Dam Wall and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery on the NSW State Heritage Register. These benefits far exceed any of the disadvantages stated.

Accordingly, it is recommended that Parramatta City Council support the Heritage Council’s proposal to list Lake Parramatta Dam Wall and St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery on the NSW State Heritage Register.

Zoran Popovic

Heritage Advisor

1	Office of Environment & Heritage - St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery, North Parramatta	24 Pages
2	Lake Parramatta Dam Wall Nomination to the State Heritage Register	17 Pages