Plans and policies

Learn more about council's corporate plans for heritage

Plans and policies

Sunshine Coast Heritage Plan 2021-2031

The Sunshine Coast Heritage Plan 2021-2031 provides council with a framework to guide the identification, protection, conservation and management of the region’s heritage. The Plan will ensure that council effectively manages and conserves the region’s heritage assets.

Interpretive Centre and Collection Store Feasibility 2019

The Interpretive Centre and Collection Store Feasibility Report 2019 investigates the feasibility including preferred location, size, costs and requirements for an Interpretive Centre and Collection Store on the Sunshine Coast.

The Plan is guided by the Environment and Liveability Strategy 2017, which provides the higher order strategic policy directions for the Sunshine Coast in relation to social infrastructure including cultural facilities. It also responds to the Sunshine Coast Heritage Plan 2015-2020, specifically as it relates to two actions (3.1.5 and 4.1.2) which require the development of a feasibility study into a collection store to house council owned and non-council owned heritage items and collections and an investigation into the establishment of a regional interpretation space.

The Sunshine Coast has a decentralised model of community museums that are located on the coast through to the hinterland and from the southern part of the local government area through to the north. The Council has a heritage collection as well as a separate art collection. Council wishes to explore the creation of a Regional Interpretive Centre that will strengthen community identity and increase the demand for heritage experiences, and the creation of a collections store to service both the community museums and the council’s collections.

The study found that the community museums operate in a challenging environment where they do not have access to museum standard storage facilities that will ensure the conservation of Sunshine Coast collections. Many of the museums have low visitation numbers.

The Sunshine Coast is undergoing a period of major residential growth creating increased demand on social infrastructure. International art tourism is growing across Australia. New cultural facilities on the Sunshine Coast have the potential to attract additional tourist numbers to the region.

A new Interpretive Centre provides an opportunity to develop a distinct Sunshine Coast Heritage experience at both the centre and at the community museums through a hub and spoke model of collaboration and operation.

Find out more and download a copy of the Interpretive Centre and Collection Store Feasibility 2019 report. The Plan is part of a broader plan for arts and cultural infrastructure on the Sunshine Coast.

Sunshine Coast Council Corporate Plan 2021-2025

The Sunshine Coast Council Corporate Plan 2021-2025 refers to cultural heritage in various sections.

Art and Heritage Collections Policy

The Art and Heritage Collections Policy outlines the framework and principles that guide the development, management, accessibility and appreciation of council’s art and heritage collections - including Art, Public Art and Cultural Heritage Collections – while ensuring the long-term safety, relevance and sustainability of art and cultural collections in council’s care.

Arts and Heritage Policy

The Arts and Heritage Policy outlines the administrative principles that provide direction for allocation of the Arts and Heritage Levy revenue towards endorsed projects and programs in an effective, open and accountable way.