The City of Perth is proposing to designate seven Heritage Areas within the City to conserve their cultural heritage significance. These heritage areas are identified in the Local Planning Strategy.
Local planning policies (LPPs) have been drafted for each heritage area which set out the following:
- a map showing the boundaries of the heritage area
- a statement about the heritage significance of the area; and
- a record of places of heritage significance in the heritage area.
The following Heritage Areas are proposed:
West End Heritage Area
The West End Heritage Area is in the Central Perth neighbourhood along King and Queen streets between Wellington Street and Hay Street. The West End Heritage Area is valued for its distinctive character, featuring attractive streetscapes, intimate laneways, and a pedestrian-friendly scale, complemented by well-preserved and adaptively reused historic buildings.
Click to watch a video showing the proposed West End Heritage Area
The draft West End Heritage Area LPP was approved for consultation by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 19 November 2024 (Item 11.2). Click here to view the minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
William Street Heritage Area
The William Street Heritage Area is located in Northbridge, along William Street between Roe and Aberdeen Streets. The William Street Heritage Area reflects the broad social and economic changes and cultural diversity of Western Australia since the late nineteenth century and is highly valued for its associations with successive waves of migrant communities.
Click to watch a video showing the proposed William Street Heritage Area.
The draft William Street Heritage Area LPP was approved for consultation by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 27 August 2024 (Item 11.2). Click here to view the minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
Barrack Street Heritage Area
The Barrack Street Heritage Area is located in the Central Perth neighbourhood along Barrack Street between Wellington Street and St Georges Terrace. The Barrack Street Heritage Area forms a significant planned vista, featuring notable landmarks like Perth Town Hall, with late 19th and early 20th century architectural buildings along the topography of the site as it rises from the river to Hay Street towards Wellington Street.
Click to watch a video showing the proposed Barrack Street Heritage Area.
The draft Barrack Street Heritage Area LPP was approved for consultation by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 29 October 2024 (Item 11.2). Click here to view the minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
Hay Street Mall Heritage Area
The Hay Street Mall Heritage Area is located along the Hay Street Mall between Barrack and William Streets. The Hay Street Mall Heritage Area demonstrates the exuberance and vitality of Western Australia’s capital city, with its built form reflecting the growth of the gold boom era, shown through its notable historic retail, hotel, and cinema buildings.
Click to watch a video showing the proposed Hay Street Mall Heritage Area.
The draft Hay Street Mall Heritage Area LPP was approved for consultation by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 27 August 2024 (Item 11.3). Click here to view the minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
Goderich Street Heritage Area
The Goderich Street Heritage Area is located in East Perth along Goderich Street between Bennett and Forrest Streets. The Goderich Street Heritage Area contains a concentration of late 19th century residential dwellings that are rare in the locality. Together they illustrate the early pattern of development of East Perth as a residential suburb.
Click to watch a video showing the proposed Goderich Street Heritage Area.
The draft Goderich Heritage Area LPP was approved for consultation by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 30 July 2024 (Item 11.4). Click here to view the minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
East End Heritage Area
The East End Heritage Area is in the Central Perth neighbourhood along Murray Street, Victoria Square and Goderich Street - between Pier and Hill Streets. The East End Heritage Area demonstrates a unique concentration of government and institutional buildings. The buildings reflect an understanding of the historical, social, political, and economic development of the city and the State of Western Australia.
Click to watch a video showing the proposed East End Heritage Area.
The draft East End Heritage Area LPP was approved for consultation by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 24 September 2024 (Item 11.4). Click here to view the minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
Pier Street Heritage Area
The Pier Street Heritage Area is in the Central Perth neighbourhood along Pier Street between Murray and Hay Streets. The Pier Street Heritage Area retains many early commercial buildings that show the city’s social and economic growth in the late nineteenth century. Its development reflects the gold boom’s impact on investment within the city centre and the rise of Pier Street as an important commercial hub connected to nearby institutional areas.
Click to watch a video showing the proposed Pier Street Heritage Area.
The draft Pier Street Heritage Area LPP was approved for consultation by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 24 September 2024 (Item 11.6). Click here to view the minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting.
The Heritage Areas map below shows the extent of each of the proposed Heritage Areas.
For further information, please refer to the documents in the side panel.
Frequently Asked Questions
A heritage area is designated under the deemed provisions of the LPS Regulations. It is an area where special planning control is required to conserve the cultural heritage significance and character of the area.
Heritage areas are proposed to protect significant historic buildings and streetscapes, maintain and celebrate the city’s unique character and identity, and ensure that new development is carefully designed to respond to and complement its historic context.
The heritage list is an individual list of places of cultural heritage significance and worthy of conservation. The heritage list is established under the deemed provisions of the LPS Regulations and published with the scheme.
Heritage Areas recognise the collective heritage significance of a group of properties and may include both listed and non-listed places.
Search your property address using the online map to confirm whether your property is within a proposed heritage area.
The Heritage Areas are identified through the City’s planning framework in accordance with State Government guidelines, where a concentration of buildings or places contributes to a distinctive historic character.
A Heritage Area Local Planning Policy (LPP) sets out:
- A map of the extent of the area
- A statement of heritage significance
- A record of the contributory buildings and non-contributory buildings
- Development and design requirements
Contributory buildings support the heritage significance of the area and are generally retained, while non-contributory buildings do not contribute to the heritage significance of the area and may be redeveloped, subject to assessment.
Yes, development may be considered, with proposals assessed to ensure they respect the heritage significance of the area, are compatible with surrounding buildings and avoid the loss of significant heritage fabric of the building.
Heritage areas focus on protecting cultural and historical significance and typically require a higher level of protection, while character areas primarily maintain streetscape and built form.
