Heritage Support

Orange has a rich heritage that contributes to the city’s distinctive character and identity. The need to conserve our past is gaining widespread support from throughout the community as heritage values become recognised.

Resources and Fact Sheets

The Heritage Manual, aims to identify the main heritage styles in the City of Orange with a view to understanding and appreciating them better.

The Heritage Advisory Service offers free professional advice from Orange City Council’s Heritage Advisor who visits Orange each month. The advisory service is offered to all property owners, land developers, tradespeople in the building industry and owners of heritage listed buildings.

Free advice is available to owners who want to renovate or redevelop private homes or commercial buildings. This advice can include the topics of colour schemes, extensions, verdandahs, awnings and fences as well as more comprehensive advice on the integration of new developement in older areas. The free advice which is provided is of a general nature and should be considered as the starting point for more extensive work that may require an architect, builder or designer. Advice is available at all stages of a project from the feasibility stage through the design stages and during construction. The City Council encourages owners to use the earliest design stage.

Owners of pre World War II properties are particularly encouraged to use the service. The Heritage Advisor also assesses applications for the Local Heritage Assistance Fund.

The City Council’s Heritage Advisor will also assist with management of State Heritage listed properties on the State Heritage Register

For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact Council’s Community Liaison Advisor or Council’s Senior Planner on 6393 8000.

Orange City Council wants to assist local residents to preserve the city’s heritage. Small grants will be available from a local heritage fund, established by Orange City Council with the aid of a grant from the NSW Heritage Office.

The fund aims to encourage as much positive work on heritage items in the area as possible. In the past many grant programs were for individual buildings only. This program will provide initial funding to encourage the joint funding of a number of projects.

Owners of heritage buildings in the Orange City Council area are invited to apply. The guidelines include information about assessment criteria and the level of funding available.

You can find more details about how to apply in these Guidelines – Local Heritage Assistance Fund 2023-2024 document.

You can use this Local Heritage Assistance Fund 2023-2024 Application Form to apply for a grant.

Is my project eligible for funding?

Eligible Projects

It is important to note that renovation work in areas such as front fences, new roof cladding, replacement windows, etc. to a heritage item, or to a building in a heritage conservation area may require approval from Council.
You are encouraged to discuss the proposed work with Orange City Council’s Planning & Development Services staff beforehand to discover if a DA is required.

Projects not funded

Funding will generally not be provided for :

• where assistance is reasonably available from another source
• the purchase of a building
• a new addition to a heritage building (including new internal fittings such as new kitchens and bathrooms)
• general maintenance of a building
• relocation of a heritage building or work
• work on government owned and operated buildings.
• work that has been completed prior to approval of grant application.

It is proposed that the maximum level of dollar-for-dollar funding per project will, on average, be $500 per application. Greater funding may be made if the circumstances warrant.

The deadline for grant applications is 4pm, Thursday 17 March 2022.

For more information contact the Community Museum and Heritage Program on 6393 8170 or email: [email protected]