Memorandum submitted by the Railway Heritage
Committee
The Railway Heritage Committee (RHC) is a GB-wide
NDPB which has the function of designating railway records and
artefacts (or classes of record and artefact) which are historically
significant and should be permanently preserved.
1. WHAT THE
DCMS SHOULD IDENTIFY
AS PRIORITIES
IN ITS
FORTHCOMING WHITE
PAPER
1.1 The most important priority is to embed
awareness of heritage issues into all departments of Government.
For example, DfES should be aware of the value of heritage to
the delivery of the education agenda; whilst DfT should consider
the impact of any new legislation on preserved railways or vintage
vehicles. The important contribution of heritage to economic regeneration,
tourism and inward investment should be emphasised.
1.2 In the museum sector, continued funding
should be secured for the Renaissance in the Regions initiative
operated by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. This
funding should ensure that the effectiveness of the programme
is extended to all museums, not just those in "hubs".
Issues of overlap between MLA, MLACs and Hubs should be resolved
to avoid waste of precious resources.
1.3 A great deal of activity in the heritage
sector depends on volunteers. Many country houses, museums, preserved
railways and other attractions would not open to the public without
them and nature reserves would not be maintained. The role of
the volunteer should be fully recognised and celebrated in the
White Paper.
1.4 The White Paper should address the current
iniquity of VAT being charged on repair and restoration of historic
properties, as opposed to no VAT on new build. This is an unjustifiable
tax on heritage, and increases the threat of dereliction and demolition.
2. THE REMIT
AND EFFECTIVENESS
OF DCMS, ENGLISH
HERITAGE AND
OTHER RELEVANT
ORGANISATIONS IN
REPRESENTING HERITAGE
INTERESTS INSIDE
AND OUTSIDE
GOVERNMENT
2.1 See 1.1 above. The effectiveness of
DCMS in ensuring that heritage interests are considered in all
relevant situations seems to have been limited in the past.
2.2 The current remit of English Heritage
should be maintained and it should be allocated sufficient resources
to carry out its role effectively. EH has a good track record
of setting standards for the recording and conservation of sites
and buildings; of liaising with local authorities, property owners
and tenants in the management and repair of sites and buildings;
and of working with other agencies such as English Nature and
the Environment Agency to ensure consistent approaches to natural
and historic heritage.
3. THE BALANCE
BETWEEN HERITAGE
AND DEVELOPMENT
NEEDS IN
PLANNING POLICY
3.1 The White Paper should ensure that heritage
has at least an equal voice with development in planning policy.
Regional and local structure plans should emphasise historic character,
and surviving historic features. Heritage plays a large part in
"local identity" and this should be a very strong consideration
in any planning decision. A "heritage value" should
be placed on areas of wildlife interest, and on areas of past
industrial activity, such as disused railway lines, to ensure
fair consideration in the planning process.
3.2 In order to ensure full and fair consideration
of heritage issues, sufficient resources should be provided to
ensure up-to-date and comprehensive Historic Environment Records
(HERs), and Environmental Record databases are maintained for
all parts of the country. HERs should include evidence of past
industries as well as conventional archaeology and historic buildings.
These databases should be made fully available to planners, developers
and members of the public.
4. ACCESS TO
HERITAGE AND
THE POSITION
OF HERITAGE
AS A
CULTURAL ASSET
IN THE
COMMUNITY
4.1 Government policies, and particularly
the availability of Heritage Lottery funding, over the last few
years have ensured that there is more physical and intellectual
access to heritage sites and properties than ever before. This
is greatly welcomed but the potential of heritage as a cultural
and community asset has not yet been fully realised. This potential
is particularly strong at a local level, where individuals and
local communities can become involved in their own particular
"heritage asset", whatever that might be.
4.2 Schemes such as the Community Heritage
Initiative operated by Leicestershire County Council, and funded
by the Heritage Lottery Fund, are excellent ways of encouraging
participation in, and appreciation of, local heritage. This scheme
allows for the appointment of "heritage wardens", the
identification of local heritage assets, and the running of events
enabling people to learn about and enjoy those assets. More such
schemes should be encouraged.
4.3 Heritage railways are another excellent
example of heritage as a cultural asset. Heritage railways are
operated largely, or entirely, by volunteers and there is considerable
engagement with the community in which the railway is situated.
They are operated by and for the local community, as well as the
wider public. Such sites can act as a focus for local pride as
well as providing a venue for other cultural activities. They
also have a strong educational role.
5. FUNDING, WITH
PARTICULAR REFERENCE
TO THE
ADEQUACY OF
THE BUDGET
FOR ENGLISH
HERITAGE AND
FOR MUSEUMS
AND GALLERIES,
THE IMPACT
OF THE
LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS
ON LOTTERY
FUNDING FOR
HERITAGE PROJECTS,
AND FORTHCOMING
DECISIONS ON
THE SHARING
OF FUNDS
FROM LOTTERY
SOURCES BETWEEN
GOOD CAUSES
5.1 English Heritage is a vital part of
the country's heritage infrastructure. It has never been generously
funded and recent cuts mean that it is unable to deliver the range
and standard of services to the public that is desirable, and
indeed that is vital for the future well-being of our heritage.
The budget should be increased to take account of recent new responsibilities,
and all inflation increases should be fully funded in the future.
5.2 The same is true for the National Museums
and Galleries that are funded directly from DCMS. Recent restrictions
on budgets have led to staff reductions and reductions in events
and activities. This is at a time when there is, rightly, more
emphasis on greater access for people from all backgrounds, requiring
more resources to attract non-traditional audiences.
5.3 For the non-national museums and galleries,
support provided by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council,
particularly through Renaissance in the Regions, and through the
Regional MLA agencies, is extremely important. Having made such
a good start, full funding for the Renaissance programme should
be found. The very cost-effective contribution made by largely
volunteer-run independent museums and heritage railways to the
museums scene in the UK should be fully acknowledged and supported
through this programme.
5.4 MLA support for Special Subject Networks
should also be extended to ensure a "level playing field"
for independent and volunteer-run museums so that they can play
their full part on the national museums scene.
5.5 Whilst acknowledging the importance
of the Olympic Games 2012, support for this should NOT be at the
expense of the heritage of this country. Heritage is an important
part of the tourism attraction of the UK and will still be attracting
overseas visitors long after the Games have been and gone. It
is important that the heritage infrastructure is maintained, and
that spending on heritage is not decreased. Rather, it should
be increased to enable heritage attractions to play their full
part in what the country has to offer for the Games.
5.6 The Heritage Lottery Fund's support
for heritage projects is now a vital part of the funding stream,
particularly for volunteer run museums and for industrial and
transport heritage attractions. Its current share of the Lottery
funding MUST NOT BE DECREASED.
6. WHAT THE
ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES SHOULD
BE FOR
ENGLISH HERITAGE,
THE HERITAGE
LOTTERY FUND,
LOCAL AUTHORITIES,
MUSEUMS AND
GALLERIES, CHARITABLE
AND OTHER
NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANISATIONS IN
MAINTAINING THE
NATION'S
HERITAGE
6.1 This is a huge question and one that
cannot be easily answered in a few paragraphs. However, the main
points are: that English Heritage should continue to be the main
adviser to Government on heritage matters, but should have sufficient
resources to deliver its important public role as well. This includes
its statutory role in relation to protected sites and buildings;
its role in setting standards for protection, conservation and
recording; and its important role in interpretation and encouraging
public involvement.
6.2 As already mentioned, HLF should continue
to deliver funding for worthwhile projects with the minimum of
bureaucracy and Government intervention.
6.3 There should be a statutory requirement
on all local authorities to provide heritage services, but this
could be delivered by existing heritage providers in the voluntary
and charitable sector, as well as through museums and galleries
run directly, through Service Level Agreements. This would acknowledge
the significant contribution made by the charitable sector, and
reduce the current "post-code lottery" effect of the
very uneven provision of heritage services across the country.
6.4 As mentioned above (5.3) the charitable
and voluntary sector makes a huge and very cost-effective contribution
to heritage provision. This is particularly true in the field
of industrial history, where hundreds of railways, pumping stations,
canals and industrial sites are restored, maintained and operated
by volunteers for the benefit of the visiting public. Such volunteer
activity should be supported, encouraged and developed by the
"funded" sector, to ensure continuation of motivation,
and the recruitment of new volunteers.
7. WHETHER THERE
IS AN
ADEQUATE SUPPLY
OF PROFESSIONALS
WITH CONSERVATION
SKILLS; THE
PRIORITY PLACED
BY PLANNING
AUTHORITIES ON
CONSERVATION; AND
MEANS OF
MAKING CONSERVATION
EXPERTISE MORE
ACCESSIBLE TO
PLANNING OFFICERS,
COUNCILLORS AND
THE GENERAL
PUBLIC
7.1 RHC is not able to comment on the adequacy
of historic buildings conservation skills, which appears to be
what is referred to in the question.
7.2 However, in the area of historic artefacts
and sites there are issues that need addressing. The people involved
in these activities have a reservoir of increasingly rare skills,
in particular, knowledge of how to repair and operate historic
machinery safely. There should be Government support to ensure
that these skills are passed on to a younger generation through
recognised training programmes.
7.3 Much of this expertise lies in the private
sector. Local authorities should make it their business to be
aware of where such expertise lies within their area, and access
it as necessary.
7.4 Government should also ensure that new
legislation, such as in the area of Health and Safety, does not
make it impossible to continue to operate historic machinery,
which is such a popular part of our heritage.
28 January 2006
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