The heritage significance of The Esplanade Darwin

The Heritage Council invites your submissions on the heritage significance of The Esplanade, Darwin and whether it should be permanently declared a Heritage Place.

The Heritage Act 2011 (Heritage Act) provides for the conservation of places of cultural or natural significance by permanently declaring them Heritage Places. Any place can be nominated to be declared a Heritage Place. The nomination is assessed for its heritage significance and then owners, stakeholders and the public are consulted before a decision is made on whether it should be declared a heritage place.

The Esplanade, Darwin (The Esplanade) was nominated by a member of the public.

The process for the nomination and declaration of Heritage Places is prescribed under the Heritage Act and illustrated in the Heritage Places and Objects, Public nomination process under the Heritage Act 2011 flowchart provided under Additional Information. The Heritage Council assessed The Esplanade against the Heritage Assessment Criteria set out in the Heritage Act and decided that The Esplanade is of heritage significance (see Statement of Heritage Value).

The Heritage Council’s decision on significance is only the beginning of the process. The next stage is a public consultation process seeking views on whether The Esplanade is of heritage significance and should be declared as a heritage place. Under the Heritage Act, a provisional declaration of The Esplanade as a heritage place must be made within the first week of the public consultation period. This protects the site during the consultation period.

The public are now invited to make written submissions on the heritage significance of The Esplanade and the proposal to permanently declare it a heritage place.

At the conclusion of the public consultation period, the Heritage Council will consider the submissions, and decide whether to recommend (or not) that The Esplanade be declared by the Minister as a heritage place. The Council may also decide to reduce or increase the area first proposed.

If the Heritage Council recommends that the Minister permanently declare The Esplanade as a heritage place, the Minister is provided copies of all submissions received as part of the consultation process.

The decision for the permanent declaration of The Esplanade will be made by the Minister.

Public Say

The Heritage Council is inviting you to make a submission on the heritage significance of The Esplanade and whether it should be permanently declared a heritage place. Your submission may include your opinion about the size of the area that should be considered. Your submission is important and will be considered by the Heritage Council and the Minister.

A copy of the Statement of Heritage Value prepared by the Heritage Council and a map showing the proposed heritage place are provided under the Documents tab.

Supporting information is provided under Additional Information:

• Flowchart: Heritage Places and Objects, Public nomination process under the Heritage Act 2011
• Factsheet: Heritage declaration under the Heritage Act 2011 – What it means
• ICOMOS Australia: Understanding Cultural Landscapes

A copy of the original Heritage Assessment Report: The Esplanade, Darwin can be provided upon request.

This is the second time the Heritage Council has sought public submissions on the heritage significance of The Esplanade.

The first process was set aside by the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in November 2024, following a successful appeal against a question of law and procedural fairness.

Public submissions made the first time cannot be used for this current consultation process. A new submission will be required. The Department has contacted those that originally made submissions advising them of this requirement.

The public consultation period is for 28 days and will close on 1 January 2026.