Memorandum submitted by the Royal Town
Planning Institute
PROTECTING, PRESERVING AND MAKING ACCESSIBLE
OUR NATION'S HERITAGE
INTRODUCTION
1. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee
is in the process of conducting an inquiry into the means of protecting,
preserving and making accessible our nation's heritage. The terms
of reference of the inquiry refer specifically to:
— the priorities the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport should identify in the forthcoming Heritage
White Paper;
— the remit and effectiveness of DCMS,
English Heritage and other relevant organisations in representing
heritage interests inside and outside Government;
— the balance between heritage and
development needs in planning policy;
— access to heritage and the position
of heritage as a cultural asset in the community;
— funding, with particular reference
to the adequacy of the budget for English Heritage, etc;
— the roles and responsibilities of
English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund, local authorities,
museums and galleries, charitable and other non-Governmental organisations
in maintaining the nation's heritage; and
— whether there is an adequate supply
of professionals with conservation skills; the priority placed
on conservation by local planning authorities; and the means of
making conservation expertise more accessible to planning officers,
councillors and the general public.
GENERAL COMMENTS
2. The Royal Town Planning Institute is
happy to respond to the late invitation to submit evidence in
connection with the Committee's inquiry into this important topic.
The Institute believes that the historic environment has a central
role in the regeneration of urban areas, the diversification of
rural economies, and the creation of inclusive and sustainable
communities. It is a crucial element in transforming urban and
rural areas to cater for modern needs and demands. Historic areas
are often at the cutting edge of modern regeneration practice,
helping to deliver economic growth and foster innovation.
3. The reuse and refurbishment of historic
buildings also represents one of the most sustainable forms of
development, avoiding the wastage of energy, carbon emissions
and landfill associated with clearance and comprehensive redevelopment.
4. The Institute supports the aims of the
heritage protection review in simplifying and make more open the
processes for protecting the historic environment.
DETAILED COMMENTS
Priorities for the forthcoming Heritage White
Paper
5. The Institute supports the outcomes of
the heritage protection review:
— the transfer of decision-making for
scheduled ancient monument consent applications to local planning
authorities;
— the creation of a unified list, combining
scheduled ancient monuments and listed buildings;
— simplification of the consents regimes
for historic buildings and areas; and
— placing an emphasis on the sound
management of historic places in addition to the control measures.
6. To deliver the proposed reforms, additional
resources are crucial. The additional costs to local authorities
must be recognised. Drawing up management agreements and administering
scheduled ancient monuments will place additional burdens on local
authority resources. Additional skills will need to be employed
or developed. At present, many local planning authorities do not
have at their disposal the skilled and experienced staff to deal
with design and conservation.
7. In addition to the above reforms, a top
priority for legislative change should be the provisions for designating
and enhancing conservation areas. The designation of a conservation
area is often seen as a positive step in delivering physical and
economic regeneration. Conservation area grant schemes have often
helped to deliver dramatic transformations, sometimes changing
areas of market failure into thriving new communities. This is
apparent in most towns and cities in England. Such designations
also recognise cherished local scenes and unique local identity
and help to preserve them for future generations.
8. Despite these positive attributes, conservation
area provisions desperately need reform:
— they are very complex, requiring
Article 4 Directions to give them adequate protection;
— due to the resource-intensive processes
for bringing Article 4 Directions into effect, most conservation
areas suffer from inadequate protection, leading to erosion of
their character over time;
— there are inconsistent levels of
protection afforded to conservation areas;
— the Shimizu judgement has further
undermined the ability of conservation area designations to protect
historic places; and
— Article 4 Directions are very difficult
for people to understand.
9. It is the Institute's view that designation
of a conservation area should introduce a robust and consistent
level of protection, without the need for additional procedures
under Article 4.
The remit and effectiveness of DCMS, English Heritage,
and other organisations
10. There is need for much closer working
between DCMS and ODPM. DCMS does not appear to appreciate the
contribution that can be made by the historic environment to regeneration,
economic growth, delivery of sustainable communities, and sustainability.
The importance of the historic environment in delivering the Government's
aims for urban and rural areas should be reflected in DCMS's allocation
of resources to heritage.
11. In particular, there needs to be an
appreciation of the way in which grants from the Heritage Lottery
Fund and English Heritage are contributing to the regeneration
and diversification of both urban and rural areas. English Heritage's
partnership schemes for conservation area and the Heritage Lottery
Fund's Townscape Heritage Initiatives are key initiatives here.
The balance between heritage and development needs
12. The 2004 inquiry into The Role of
Historic Buildings in Urban Regeneration, undertaken by the
ODPM Select Committee, established the central role of heritage
in the economic and physical regeneration of urban areas. This
fundamental link is backed by a body of evidence produced by English
Heritage, Heritage Link, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and other
bodies.
13. The terms "design-led" regeneration
and "heritage-led" regeneration have become synonymous
with high value, dramatic transformations, especially of formerly
failing inner-city areas. Historic buildings and areas play a
crucial role in allowing towns and cities to adapt to modern needs
and demands. Due to variation in rental levels, historic buildings
provide accommodation for small and medium enterprises, new businesses,
specialist retailers, creative industries, etc. At the same time,
they are often better able to accommodate community facilities.
There tends to be a finer mixture of uses in historic areas compared
to large new developments.
14. The Institute view is that rather than
there being a conflict between the historic environment and the
needs of developers and investors, heritage resources are a crucial
part of meeting development need. It is interesting to note that
the more innovative/entrepreneurial developers—such as Urban
Splash—target historic buildings and areas as an integral
part of their product. Heritage-led regeneration has a strong
catalytic effect that can often help to deliver dramatic economic
restructuring. Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool, for example,
have used their historic environments to help transform their
economies and improve their competitiveness.
Access to heritage as a cultural asset to the
community
15. The incremental way in which many historic
places developed, and the resulting diverse range of accommodation
and rentals, mean that such areas can better cater for cultural
diversity in today's communities and populations. In particular,
minority cultures require the variety of accommodation and rental
levels that can often only be found in older areas of mixed development.
These historic areas may also be closely associated with cultural
identity. Liverpool's RopeWalks, for example, provides evidence
of the city's industrial and maritime past, but also accommodates
modern creative industries and cultural uses.
16. The comprehensive demolition and redevelopment
programmes of the post-war years are now widely recognised to
have dispersed established local communities. In contrast, incremental
redevelopment, retaining the best of the old, maintains community
cohesion, but also allows for cultural diversity. Culturally-related
heritage—from art galleries and museums to local manufacturing
industries—often supports tourism and helps develop the
visitor economy. This is a significant growth area in some local
economies, contributing to the replacement of jobs lost in heavy
industry.
Funding
17. DCMS has dramatically increased funding
for sport, whilst effectively freezing funding for heritage. Departmental
priorities have not recognised the contribution made by heritage
to economic development, urban and rural regeneration, creation
of sustainable communities, cultural diversity, and the delivery
of more sustainable forms of development. This may well be because
these areas fall within the remit of ODPM.
18. It is essential that DCMS works more
closely with ODPM and ensures that the heritage sector receives
the appropriate resources to implement the programme developed
through the heritage protection review. At the same time, DCMS
must give more "up front" support to projects and activities
that enhance and regenerate historic buildings and areas.
19. The recent contraction of English Heritage's
casework support function, and cuts in funding for area grant
schemes are likely to have serious consequences. It is essential
that these areas of funding to the heritage sector are restored
and enhanced. The track record of area grant schemes in delivering
substantial benefits through the transformation of failing areas
into thriving communities is exemplary, especially where they
have acted as a catalyst for the regeneration of wider areas such
as at Castlefields in Manchester and Grainger Town in Newcastle.
20. A further area for reform is the reduction
or abolition of VAT on building refurbishment works. Refurbishment
focuses on the use of skilled designers and craftsmen, whilst
reducing the use of energy and materials. The ODPM Select Committee
inquiry into The Role of Historic Buildings in Urban Regeneration
(2004) recognised that the current VAT regime was in conflict
with the Government's aspirations for more sustainable development.
Roles and responsibilities
21. The management of the historic environment
must be seen as a multidisciplinary activity. The Institute recognises
the value of umbrella bodies such as Heritage Link and the Urban
Design Alliance (UDAL) in bringing together different professions
and sectors. It is equally important that the Government-funded
bodies—such as CABE and English Heritage—work closely
together to provide a holistic approach to the built environment,
old and new.
22. The main heritage funding bodies—English
Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund—should be encouraged
to develop closer links and partnerships with mainstream regeneration
funders such as English Partnerships, the regional development
agencies and local authorities, to ensure that the benefits of
design and heritage-led regeneration are fully recognised and
prioritised in regional economic and funding strategies.
23. The Royal Town Planning Institute is
the professional body for town planners, working to advance the
art and science of spatial planning. Many of the Institute's members
are involved in the management, enhancement and regeneration of
the historic environment. The Institute is committed to developing
skills in design and conservation, and working with other bodies
with similar aims.
24. The Institute's Planning Aid Service
provides free professional planning advice for people who can
not afford to employ planning consultants, and also undertakes
a range of innovative projects to involve local communities and
hard-to-reach minority groups in planning policy making and decisions
affecting their localities and life opportunities. This clearly
includes work in older urban areas.
25. Local government is expected to be given
new responsibilities for administering the proposed Heritage Protection
Act. Local authorities must be properly resourced to undertake
this enhanced role, including staff training and the development
of specialist skills in design and conservation.
Skills
26. The shortage of specialist conservation
staff was recognised in the Local Authority Conservation Provision
Study 2003, commissioned jointly by English Heritage and the IHBC.
The Study identified the limited capacity of many local authorities
to deal with conservation issues, with some employing no specialist
conservation officers. A number of measures are required to address
the shortfall:
— the provision of training for local
authority staff to develop specialist conservation skills;
— the development of best value performance
indicators relating to the delivery of conservation services by
local planning authorities;
— ensuring the proper resourcing of
conservation services; and
— the development of generic skills—such
as project management—for specialist conservation staff.
CONCLUSIONS
27. Resources are clearly crucial to the
successful reform of heritage protection. DCMS needs to recognise
the role of the historic environment in delivering planning and
regeneration aims, including urban regeneration, rural diversification
and the creation of sustainable communities. This will involve
much closer working with ODPM.
28. In particular, resources need to be
increased for heritage funding streams, including English Heritage's
conservation area grant schemes. Local authorities must be properly
resourced to deliver the provisions of a new Heritage Protection
Act, to enable more pro-active work to be undertaken, and so shift
the emphasis from control to management and support.
29. In terms of legislation, the reform
of both the primary and secondary legislation relating to conservation
areas must be the priority. The present provisions are over-complex
and are applied inconsistently. There is widespread community
support for the designation of conservation areas, but this falls
away when the protection and enhancement fails to live up to expectations,
and the detailed arrangements fall outside comprehension.
28 March 2006
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