Memorandum submitted by the Derwent Valley
Mills Partnership (DVMP)
1.1 The Derwent Valley Mills Partnership
(DVMP) is an overarching management body of local elected representatives
and others which oversees the implementation and delivery of the
Management Plan for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site
in Derbyshire and monitors its success.
1.2 On 16 December 2001, the Derwent Valley
Mills were inscribed on the World Heritage List on the basis of
two criteria. These are: That the site exhibits "an important
interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural
area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology,
monumental arts, town planning or landscape design"; and
that the site is "an outstanding example of a type of building
or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape, which
illustrates a significant stage in human history".
1.3 World Heritage status brings considerable
prestige to the area but carries with it no additional statutory
controls or Central Government funding. A very limited provision
is given by the local authorities, but is insufficient to provide
marketing material and service provision for visitors.
1.4 The membership of the DVMP is as follows:
Amber Valley Borough Council; the Arkwright Society; Belper North
Mill Trust; Belper Town Council; Cromford Parish Council; Darley
Abbey Community Association; Darley Abbey Society; The Department
for Culture, Media and Sport; Derby City Council; Derby Conservation
Area Advisory Committee; Alderwasley Parish Council; Breadsall
Parish Council; Crich Parish Council; Duffield Parish Council;
Little Eaton Parish Council; Ripley Town Council; Wirksworth Town
Council; Derbyshire County Council; Derbyshire Dales District
Council; Derwent Valley Rural Transport Partnership; Derwent Valley
Trust; Dethick, Lea and Holloway Parish Council; East Midlands
Confederation of British Industry; Derby and Derbyshire Economic
Partnership; Derbyshire Wildlife Trust; English Heritage; The
Environment Agency; Erewash Borough Council; Friends of the Cromford
Canal; ICOMOS UK; Learning and Skills Council Derbyshire; Matlock
Bath Parish Council; Natural England; Peak District & Derbyshire
Destination Management Partnership; Southern Derbyshire Chamber.
1.5 This submission only relates to the
three issues which most directly affect the Derwent Valley Mills
World Heritage Site. These issues are highlighted below in italics.
2 The effectiveness of DCMS and its sponsored
bodies (such as VisitBritain) in supporting the industry; and
the structure and funding of sponsored bodies in the tourism sector,
and the effectiveness of that structure in promoting the UK both
as a whole and in its component parts
2.1 The pooling of local authorities' resources
through the creation of Destination Management Partnerships has
not proven to be beneficial for the complex, multi-ownership Derwent
Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Because the Site operates with
so little funding, it is unable to contribute towards DMP publications/
literature and therefore receives little coverage, and DMP funding
is not available for supporting our own guides and information.
This limits opportunities for economic benefit through greater
recognition and tourism visits, for a site within a globally-familiar
branded family. This in turn complicates efforts to maintain,
conserve and interpret the Outstanding Universal Value of the
Site.
3 The practicality of promoting more environmentally
friendly forms of tourism
3.1 The Management Plan for the Derwent
Valley Mills World Heritage Site supports and encourages sustainable
transport within the 15-mile long site. The Derwent Valley Rail
Line runs the full length of the World Heritage Site and offers
unusual views and a greater understanding of its key elements.
A free leaflet "A guide to what you can see along the scenic
Derwent Valley Line" has been produced in conjunction with
the Derwent Valley Rural Transport Partnership, to encourage greater
use of the line. The limited service (one train every two hours)
does limit the opportunity for growth of use.
3.2 The surviving water turbines at the
mill sites along the River Derwent now produce power for the National
Grid. This use of water power links closely to the history of
the World Heritage Site. It is an aspiration of the Partnership
for renewed use of other former turbine sites, and interpretation
which will become part of the tourism offer to the visitor. The
use of historically relevant and environmentally friendly methods
of providing power can provide added-value for tourists, particularly
as awareness of these issues grows.
4 How to derive maximum benefit for the industry
from the London 2012 Games
4.1 Within the Heritage Tourism Sector,
there are destinations, such as the Derwent Valley Mills World
Heritage Site, where the question is how we can minimise the difficulties
arising from the London 2012 Games. In recent years Lottery money
has been the single largest source of support for the heritage
sector. In 2007, three very different but considerable projects
from three different bodies across the 15-mile long site will
be made to the Heritage Lottery Fund, all designed to have a positive
impact on the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and its
heritage tourism offer. The loss of a further £90m for the
Heritage Lottery Fund to finance the Games, announced on March
15 2007, could jeopardise all three of these projects, and destabilise
the progress of the Partnership.
5 Recommendations
5.1 Acknowledgment of the importance of
World Heritage Sites as tourism destinations and their tourism/economic
benefits would be greatly welcomed.
5.2 Greater opportunities for funding heritage
tourism projects would be beneficial for the successful enhancement
of World Heritage Sites to meet the expectations of visitors from
across the globe.
5.3 Support for interpretation of sustainable
power production where it works with the history of the surrounding
landscape to provide interest to the visitor.
March 2007
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