Australian cultural built heritage: Stakeholders’ perceived conservation barriers and motivation

Problem/Purpose: Stakeholders are recognised as drivers of the effective conservation of cultural built heritage. Yet, as stakeholders have eclectic views in terms of their interest in, knowledge of and perceptions about the management of historic fabric, their practices are often diverse. The objective of this paper is to gain an understanding of stakeholders’ views on the issues that act as barriers to conservation and identify the factors that motivate built heritage management in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach: Using a qualitative research design, two focus groups were conducted in Queensland and New South Wales with purposely-selected key informants (N=14) working in the Australian heritage sector including architects, planners, historians, conservators, advisers, policymakers and managers.

Findings: The study presents stakeholders’ interest in managing built heritage and the perceptions concerning the application of conservation policy and practices in the Australian built heritage sector, as influenced by the interdisciplinary backgrounds of participants.

Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to an in-depth understanding of the conservation barriers and motivators and their implications on the policy and practices in the management of Australian built heritage.

Originality/value: The study is based on perception from key informants with diverse interests and knowledge about conservation of cultural built heritage; this makes the research analysis and implications more inclusive and influential from both the theoretical and practical points of view.