Memorandum by The Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors (HIS 09)
1. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
(RICS) represents the views and interests of 110,000 chartered
surveyors worldwide covering all aspects of land, property and
construction. Under the terms of its Royal Charter, RICS is required
at all times to act in the public interest.
2. We welcome this opportunity to submit
evidence to the Committee's inquiry into the role of historic
buildings in urban regeneration.
THE CONTRIBUTION
OF HISTORIC
BUILDINGS TO
URBAN REGENERATION
3. We believe that historic buildings can
play a major role in urban regeneration. Such buildings can give
an area character, and can represent a major part in creating
pleasant environments that can both benefit residents and attract
visitors to the area.
4. For regeneration initiatives to work
successfully, they must be able to create a long term, viable,
economy for an area. As a consequence of this, they must ensure
that the area that is being regenerated is attractive and safe
to visit, that there are reasons to visit it, that it has a viable
economic future that will allow it to prosper. The presence of
historic buildings can provide a major stimulus to all of these
factors, and many successful regeneration initiatives have sought
to use historic buildings as a basis for their plans.
5. However, a major failing of the present
system is that many of the buildings that are protected by the
existing system are listed as a consequence of obscure historic
or architectural links, that are not appreciated by the public,
or that contribute little to the quality of the environment. This
is particularly the case with many of the relatively modern buildings
that are now being protected.
6. A good example of this is the Liberty
Building in Leicester. The factory was listed as a consequence
of it being an early example of reinforced concrete construction.
However, the concrete frame of the building was in a poor state
of maintenance. Had it been repaired, the building would have
to be stripped to the frame every twelve years for safety checks.
As a consequence, the building was totally unsaleable, and as
it fell into a greater state of disrepair, it served as a major
barrier to the successful regeneration of the area.
THE ROLE
AND EFFECTIVENESS
OF THE
PUBLIC AGENCIES
RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE BUILT
AND HISTORIC
ENVIRONMENT IN
ENCOURAGING URBAN
REGENERATION/WHETHER
THOSE ORGANISATIONS
CARRYING OUT
REGENERATION PROJECTS
GIVE SUFFICIENT
REGARD TO
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
7. We believe that there is a major gulf
in skills between the public regeneration agencies (such as the
Regional Development Agencies and English Partnerships) and English
Heritage. Although these organisations employ many regeneration
experts and historic building experts, they employ few who have
skills in both fields.
8. There is also limited experience of both
skills in local government circles. If local authorities do have
skills in regeneration or protecting historic buildings, those
skills are rarely part of the same scheme. This is despite the
key role that local authorities play as a catalyst for many projects,
and the important leadership role that they can find themselves
playing during the project.
9. As a consequence, the system tends to
become adversarial. English Heritage (although some EH regions
are better than others) and the environment lobby tend to see
their role as being the protection of buildings and their current/original
use at all costs, while the RDAs and others involved in regeneration
tend to only have regeneration related targets. As such, they
spend their time polarised, and defending their respective interests
when they have a common interest in maximising the contribution
that historic buildings can make and should consequently seek
to work together to identify synergies for common benefit.
10. We believe that the regional regeneration
centres of excellence have an important role to play in bringing
the two sides together, and that the Egan Task Force should also
be extended to look at the full range of urban regeneration skills,
and how the specific challenges and issues that are faced by regeneration
projects involving historic buildings can be overcome. We also
believe that English Heritage should be given a specific regeneration
targets (and budgets), and that the RDAs and EP should also be
given historic environment targets.
WHETHER THE
PLANNING SYSTEM
AND THE
LISTING OF
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
AID OR
HINDER URBAN
REGENERATION
11. We believe, as noted elsewhere in this
submission, that historic buildings often have a critical role
to play in ensuring the success of urban regeneration projects.
We also believe that it is important that buildings that have
genuine historic and architectural merit, and that are consequently
valued by the public for the contribution that they make to the
urban realm, are protected and maintained into the future.
12. However, we believe that the systems
can often hinder regeneration attempts. Once a building becomes
listed, then its preservation can often become sacrosanct to many.
As a consequence, it can be very difficult for that building to
be successfully incorporated into regeneration schemes, and as
a consequence, schemes are delayed or do not go ahead.
13. We consequently believe that greater
flexibility needs to be introduced into the system, to ensure
that regeneration projects can take place that enhance an area,
regardless of the presence of historic buildings. All too often,
the presence of a single historic building, that has received
listed status because of an obscure historic link, can prevent
regeneration projects going ahead, even though the would make
a significant improvement to the environment of an area, and would
start to attract people back into the area.
14. On their own, a single historic building
can often be overlooked by the public, and can contribute little
to the public's perception of an area. As such, we believe that
there needs to be greater consideration given to "area"
rather than "building". The system at the moment protects
individual buildings but far less protection is given to the areas
that those buildings are located in. As a consequence, far too
often in the past, individual buildings have been saved yet attractive
(but unprotected) buildings nearby have been demolished. This
often results in unattractive developments being built around
historic buildings that diminish the historic building and the
area around it. Yet had the original environment been maintained,
the area would have been more attractive and regeneration would
have been more successful.
15. However, this should not be regarded
as a licence to demolish historic buildings at will. There is
often a win/win situation where keeping the best of the old and
introducing high quality, sensitive new development, can achieve
the best result for regeneration (and sustainability) and the
historic environment. Regenerators need to appreciate the value
that historic buildings can represent, and that sympathetic development
of such buildings can be of benefit to both the building and the
area.
16. However, the historic environment lobby
also needs to recognise that so long as development is undertaken
sympathetically, it can enhance the area and the historic buildings
that they seek to protect. After all, what is the point of protecting
a building that sees little use and is in a poor state of repair
when the façade could be retained and the building could
be developed to have a viable use into the future?
17. We believe that both sides need greater
understanding of the options that are open to them, to develop
historic buildings to have a viable, future use. Greater use should
be made of the CABE/English Heritage Urban Panel to spread awareness
of best practice, and to mediate on disputed cases.
WHETHER ALL
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
TAKE ADEQUATE
ACCOUNT OF
THE HISTORIC
ENVIRONMENT
18. As noted above, we believe that the
individual economic and preservation agendas being carried forward
by differing Government Departments and agencies is a major barrier
to improvements to the historic environment and to ensuring that
regeneration projects are successful.
19. Government needs to recognise that the
successful regeneration of our cities will only take place when
all government departments involved recognise the importance of
ensuring that both those responsible for preservation of historic
buildings, and those responsible for ensuring economic growth
and development work together to achieve maximum benefit. While
government departments continue to perpetuate the adversarial
nature of development, and fail to provide any leadership, then
it is unlikely that there will be any change in the rest of industry.
20. The ODPM should take ownership of this
within government, and provide leadership to other departments
on how successful regeneration projects have involved historic
buildings. It should research what criteria have made regeneration
projects that involve historic buildings successful and promote
the findings with other departments and agencies.
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