The Meeting Place Precinct (Botany Bay National Park-Kurnell) Conservation Management Plan
The Meeting Place Precinct is within Botany Bay National Park, Kurnell. It is historically, socially and symbolically unique within NSW and to Australia. The Meeting Place Precinct embodies a national story of outstanding importance – that of the encounter between Indigenous Australians and the expedition lead by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770. The stories of this encounter have been both celebrated and condemned. This place is therefore at the heart of an important process of history-making and sense of identity for Australians.
Context was engaged to develop a Conservation Management Plan detailing a vision for the place that recognises this powerful story and its many nuances, as well as recognising the complexity and mutability of the values of this place. Working closely with the Aboriginal Community, and completed in close collaboration with the consultant team – Urban Initiatives and the Parks and Wildlife Group, Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW – this is an outstanding example of effective heritage planning and an award winning conservation management plan.
The Plan was developed to ensure the balanced and inclusive management of the complex values, meanings and associations embodied by this important site. An early task involved a heritage impact assessment of the existing master plan. Another important step was to recognise the Aboriginal landscape and people of this place and consider their aspirations in shaping the Plan. Aboriginal community involvement was therefore critical, bringing new perspectives to management and shaping clear policies that support stronger Aboriginal participation and respect the depth of history and difficult meanings that this place embodies.
This strategic planning document develops policies, guidelines and actions to ensure that the tangible and intangible attributes of the Meeting Place Precinct are revealed, celebrated and conserved into the future. Directions for the future are provided through six strategies and a detailed action plan, cross-referenced to the policies. Each policy area (there are 18 in total) has clear objectives, rationale and detailed policies. Monitoring is a key component. Decision-making is supported by a number of tools including a decision-making flow-chart for significant historic vegetation.
The Meeting Place Precinct (Botany Bay National Park-Kurnell) Conservation Management Plan was recognised by the Planning Institute of Australia, winning the Heritage Planning category at the 2008 NSW Division awards.
The judges found that “The Plan represents a new approach to conservation management, dealing with the complexity of issues of the place and the complexity of its values. The Conservation Management Plan was designed to guide decision making rather than setting prescriptive rules and offers a clear vision and defined heritage principles.”
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