Curio Projects were engaged by Place Making NSW to assist them in navigating the complex historic, legislative and technical frameworks needed to review and update the 2010 Rocks Heritage Management Plan.

A key challenge for The Rocks was to engage with the different, sometimes competing, functions and values of the precinct. The Heritage Management Plan (HMP) needed to ensure protection of what is special about The Rocks, while acknowledging and managing change.

Curio Projects assisted Place Making NSW in engaging with these issues and building on the 2002 and 2010 Heritage Management Plans through consultation with ten different stakeholder groups, reviewing aligned plans and strategies, and developing policies and actions to be implemented over the next 10 years.

To complement the text, the HMP includes new maps and overlays, as well as historic and contemporary images, which bring the plan to life and visually tell the story of this important precinct.

The 2021 Rocks HMP is accessible to a general audience, while still providing technical guidance to managers and users of the precinct. Its policies and actions strike a balance between conservation and activation and recommend that the significance of the precinct is reflected through elevation to the State Heritage Register.