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Advocacy

Since the 1940s, the National Trust has led campaigns to protect heritage at risk – whether built, environmental or cultural.

In the early years, before widespread community awareness of the value of heritage, we often had to take campaigns to the streets to protect built and natural heritage from the ravages of development.

We saved much, but even so, grand houses were felled to become car parks, whole suburbs were razed to build roads, and colonial buildings became office blocks.

At the grass roots the National Trust supports community groups for the protection of heritage of all kinds.

Destruction of heritage still occurs and the Trust must be prepared to act quickly when we are alerted to threats. But today, our role is also to lobby and negotiate to ensure that developers and governments cannot sweep irreplaceable heritage away in the name of progress.

At the same time, we raise community awareness of what is at stake. With the support of professionals concerned with all aspects of heritage conservation, architecture and planning, we support innovative design which also recognises and integrates valued heritage.

At a local level we work with communities to protect places that are important to their neighbourhoods.

We need YOUR support to create widespread awareness of threats to heritage. Join the National Trust and help make a difference in your community.

Advocacy Achievements 2011

In 2011 The National Trust of Australia (NSW) worked with the community to achieve many significant victories. Campaigns included:

• Ku-ring-gai Town Centres LEP 2010.   The Friends of Turramurra using evidence collected by the Trust succeeded in having the Ku-ring-gai LEP 2010 declared wholly invalid by the Land and Environment Court
• Currawong.  The Trust advocated successfully for this bushland site on the shores of Pittwater to be purchased by the NSW Government for public recreation and conservation purposes.  It is now protected from unsympathetic development in perpetuity.
• Barangaroo.  The Trustnegotiated an independent review of Barangaroo which found that the proposed hotel should be removed from Sydney Harbour; while the deep water berth will  be retained at Central Barangaroo so as not to close off future alternative maritime uses
• Catherine Hill Bay.  The Trustassisted the community in a further challenge in the Land & Environment Court challenge to the Catherine Hill Bay Development Control Plan to ensure new housing remains in character and scale with the adjoining State Heritage listed townships.
• Wambo Homestead. This historic property, threatened by coal mining interests in the Hunter Valley, has been saved from State Heritage de-listing and eventual demolition.
• Ecclesiastical heritage.  Trust action has ensured that timber pews in the historic St Clements Church, Marrickville, will be retained in situ.
• Hurstville Velodrome.  Trust intervention has convinced Hurstville Council to reject a proposal to demolish a facility which has nurtured Australian champions.
• Chinese gardens at La Perouse.  The historic gardens have been protected from a proposal to expand the neighbouring cemetery.
• Duntrim House.  The Trust facilitated the purchase by Ascham School of this Health Department-owned property, thereby safeguarding it from demolition by offering the building a new lease of life as part of the school.