For the fifth year running, the Local Heritage Assistance Fund (LHAF) has successfully aided Blue Mountains heritage property owners to look after their heritage buildings.
The fund will be continuing for another year, thanks to funding from the NSW Government, with the next round of applications opening Wednesday 31 July and closing Monday 2 September 2024.
This year's funding totalling $15,500 was distributed to eight property owners for minor conservation works. The fund was open to individually listed heritage items and contributory properties in heritage conservation areas. It also provided the opportunity for owners of publicly accessible buildings to provide long-term care for their heritage properties.
Blue Mountains Mayor, Mark Greenhill said: "The Local Heritage Assistance Fund has proven its value for another year, with improvements across a variety of projects."
This year's fund assisted several initiatives, including the owners of the Former Post Office in Katoomba to paint the building's façade, providing an uplift to the main street.
Other projects include the restoration of the Uniting Church in Katoomba which contains local community organisation Junction 142, and the repair of the entrance to the Leura Cancer Wellness Support building.
The Oaklands Pumphouse in Hazelbrook, which is part of a remarkable system or water supply provided by the former R T Hall Sanatorium, has also been restored to its former glory. Council contributed to the cost of reconstructing all three of the building's original sash windows to their original detail, made by a local supplier, Branches Timber Craft in Lawson.
Owners of the Oaklands Pumphouse and Dam, Andrew and Kim Kaar, said: "LHAF provided the impetus to get going on something we had always thought about doing - and by having assistance with the funding we were able to do it in the most authentic manner possible. Besides financially, the interactions with the Council team also encouraged us that people were interested."
"The conservation work has started us on a path towards saving this decaying historic structure. It is now more weatherproof and its restored beauty makes us far more interested in caring for it. The return of the authentic windows has gone a long way towards returning the Pumphouse to its original beauty and helps restore it as a historic point of interest."
The new round of grants for 2024-2025 has a total of $15,000 to award, and individual grants will be up to $2,500 each. Funding will be directed towards heritage buildings that are either listed as local heritage items or are contributory buildings located within heritage conservation areas in the Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan.
Priority will be given to minor conservation works to buildings that are located within the main streets of town and village centres, and/or will provide a public benefit to the community, such as improvements to enhance the building's façade or exterior.
Consideration will be given to the preparation of strategic heritage documents, such as conservation management strategies or heritage interpretation plans, for important heritage buildings under threat or in exceptional circumstances.
Applications are open from Wednesday 31 July to 5pm Monday 2 September 2024.
More information is available at bmcc.nsw.gov.au/LHAF
