Memorandum by Dr George Sheeran (HIS 42)
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 I am Dr George Sheeran and I work at
the School of Lifelong Education and Development at Bradford University.
My sphere of expertise is architectural and urban history which
I teach as part of the degree and other award programmes run by
the School.
2. THE IMPORTANCE
OF PLACE
TO COMMUNITY
IDENTITY
2.1 I consider historic buildings as an
essential element in urban regeneration where this is intended
to take place within historic environments. Although difficult
to quantify, it seems to me that public opinion regards the redevelopment
of our towns and cities in the 1950s, 60s and 70s with dismay.
These were days when planners and architects were motivated by
the idea that social progress consisted of clearing urban environments
of older buildings and replacing them with modernist conceptions
of 20th-century living.
2.2 To many people such approaches to regeneration
left behind them as many problems as they tried to alleviate.
There were enforced movements of local populations out of traditional
residential areas, the demolition of landmark buildings, the production
of alien environments and the disregard of the histories and affective
understandings of environments which were arguably the principal
conceptualisations of place that most people possessed.
2.3 The point about the above is that regeneration
is not solely about economics, but people. In this respect the
identity of local populations is bound up very much with conceptions
of place, which is characterised not only by social activity,
but also the environments and buildings within which this occurs.
In this sense the preservation of historic built environments
provide continuity in people's lives and evolving traditions.
Traditional market places, pubs, shops, schools and so on, even
closed factories or redundant churches can exert a potent effect
on people's imaginations, and a wish to retain these links with
the past. For regeneration to be successful beyond the economic
then such factors must be taken into account.
3. ECONOMIC EFFECTS
OF RETAINING
THE HISTORIC
ENVIRONMENT: TWO
CASE STUDIES
3.1 Few councils and developers of the mid-twentieth
century seemed conscious of the benefits that might accrue to
some areas, even whole regions, by the conservation of the historic
built environment or the possibilities of heritage tourism. The
two case studies below suggest how this may be successful or may
not and result in stagnation.
Saltaire, near Bradford, West Yorkshire
3.2 Saltaire is an industrial village built
by the Victorian textile magnate Titus Salt. In 1853 Salt had
completed building a large textile mill and over the next 20 years
added houses, chapels, shops, schools and a public hall.
3.3 The greatest part of this village had
survived into the twentieth century, and had become enmeshed in
the urban spread of Bradford. By the 1970s and 80s the mill was
in difficulties and eventually closed. It is fair to say that
by the mid-eighties property looked run down, one or two buildings
had been demolished and unemployment was high.
3.4 However, the sale of the mill to a local
businessman, the late Jonathan Silver, proved the turning point.
Silver's plan was to retain the mill, parts of which were let
to high-tech businesses, parts of which became retail units, and
at the same time opening the ground floor as a gallery. Other
parts of the complex were converted to residential use, and the
local health authority moved its offices there also. All of this
was effected with great sensitivity to the original form and fabric
of the village.
3.5 In terms of the regulatory framework,
Saltaire village had been created a conservation area since the
late 1970s. Permitted developments, however, were to cause some
deterioration in the appearance of houses, so that further protection
by listings became necessary. By the 1990s individual properties
and industrial buildings had been successfully listed, and in
2001 the village sought and was awarded World Heritage Site status.
3.6 Today Saltaire is a vibrant tourist
site. Its shops, restaurants and galleries are doing good business
and property prices are rising, a process that had begun before
the present rise in property prices generally. It is remarkable
to think that during the 1970s there were plans to demolish substantial
areas of the village to make way for a new road. Had this been
carried out, then the regeneration and development of this part
of the Bradford district would have never occurred, since the
integrity of the village would have been impaired, making listing
difficult, World Heritage Site status impossible and blighting
the possibility of trade from tourism.
Manningham, Bradford, West Yorkshire
3.7 Saltaire is an outstanding example of
success, unlike Manningham, about three miles to the south. Manningham
could be considered an inner city district of Bradford, but in
the nineteenth century, it had been a wealthy suburb. The local
population is largely Pakistani with a mixture of other ethnic
minorities and a native white population. It is a district shot
through with social problems, and was one of the scenes of the
riots which occurred in Bradford in the summer of 2001.
3.8 In the Lilycroft area of Manningham
stands Manningham Mills, an immense textile mill built by Samuel
Cunliffe Lister in the 1870s. It is prominently located, its huge
form with a chimney like an Italian tower being visible from many
parts of the district. The mill was abandoned in the 1990s, and
since then has been falling into a worsening state of dereliction.
3.9 From the early 1990s efforts have been
made to restore this mill. The most imaginative scheme was to
relocate parts of the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum
here, but this and other schemes have fallen victim to squabbles,
politicking and the withdrawal of funding. Local community groups
see the restoration of the mill as one of the key factors in regeneration,
providing jobs, making provision for community facilities which
are sorely lacking and possibly promoting tourism.
3.10 It is relevant to point out that it
is not only the white residents of the area who have ties with
the mill, but numbers of Pakistani families who had worked there
in the 1960s and `70s. The mill has become a powerful focal point
in the sense of place having resonances for many people.
4. THE HISTORIC
BUILT ENVIRONMENT,
SUCCESS OF
REGENERATION SCHEMES
AND THE
ROLE OF
RESPONSIBLE ORGANISATIONS
4.1 The historic built environment quite
clearly occupies an important position in the regeneration process.
The attraction of commerce and tourism as well as less easily
measured but important perceptions such as a shared sense of identity
may all depend on the successful conservation and exploitation
of a district's heritage of historic buildings.
4.2 It should be noted from the two case
studies above that the success of regeneration depends greatly
on the ability of different organisations to co-operate. This
was evident in Saltaire from the 1990s onwards when Bradford Council,
the local MP, community groups and business interests all put
their shoulders behind promoting the village. This has been sadly
lacking in streets surrounding Manningham Mills during the same
period. While Saltaire has gone from strength to strength, Manningham
Mills, and the environment inhabited by its surrounding residents,
deteriorates, although, in fairness, the problems of regeneration
in Manningham are far greater than at Saltaire.
4.3 The key organisation here is the local
council. It is local government that plays such an important role
in deciding where regeneration projects will be carried out, in
obtaining funding, in bringing partners together and in maintaining
historic environments through conservation plans and policies.
It is up to local government together with strategic partnerships
and RDAs to take careful account of the historic built environment
in their planning and their strategies for urban and community
regeneration, and recognise its importance in this respect.
4.4 To this end both local and national
government should ensure that the regulatory system works better.
Far from hindering regeneration, listing and regulation has been
the saviour of some urban areas. Saltaire is a good case in point:
had there been no regulatory framework in place, this village
would not have been the success it is today, for the reasons given
above.
5. CONCLUSION
5.1 Community and urban regeneration is
about more than simply renewing economies. It is about the ways
in which we go about it and the things we value. In this respect
the historic built environment has a complex role to play. The
attraction of tourism, the creation of new jobs, the strengthening
of a shared sense of identity and the resulting capacity of people
to value their surroundings—all are facets of this role.
5.2 The days when local administrations
could move in and simply flatten a site are long gone, or should
be. As a MORI survey[45]
carried out for English Heritage has suggested, the great majority
of people value the historic environment and feel that it plays
an important part in the commercial and cultural life of the country.
45 Power of Place: the future of the historic environment,
English Heritage, 2000:1. Back
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