Heritage

22-Mar-12

The RTPI promotes sustainable communities where the historic environment is carefully complemented by newer buildings, helping to define and retain a unique character for every community. City of Bath (Photo by Judith Eversley)

latest news

London World Heritage: London Mayor Boris Johnson has published new guidance designed to conserve the settings of the capital’s World Heritage Sites.
Liverpool World Heritage: Liverpool Council has granted permission for the waterfront high-rise development that may jeopardise the City's world heritage status but because of the objections of English Heritage the Secretary of State will now deliberate on the issues.
In the wake of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has published its proposals in response to the Penfold Review of Non-Planning Consents including 'measures to simplify and reduce costs associated with the heritage protection system'.
The 2011 RICS Awards Conservation Project & Project of the Year was awarded to the Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, Bethnal Green.
The largest ever research project into the condition of England's industrial heritage has been published by English Heritage together with its annual 'Heritage at Risk Register'.
Staff Resources: The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has said continued cuts to the number of conservation officers, highlighted in the Report on Local Authority Staff Resources (published by English Heritage, the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, and the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers) proves its case for fundamental reform of the heritage system as noted below: The Historic Environment Forum (HEF) has written to all English Planning authorities to make the case for retaining historic environment expertise in the face of the drastic cuts registered in research in local authority capacity in conservation and archaeology.

Policy changes and consultations

Plannning Resource offers What the draft NPPF means for... heritage policy (RTPI membership or subscription required). You can keep abreast of general developments via the RTPI NPPF page.

Averting Crisis in Heritage: This report from the CLA sees heritage as a key part of the future, not just the past, and shows how the CLA wants to work with English Heritage and others in the heritage world to devise and implement changes which will allow the system to protect our heritage more effectively.

The new Welsh Assembly Government is expected to introduce a Heritage Preservation Bill to improve the listed building regime.

The RTPI has made a submission to English Heritage in response to their consultation on a draft of their Good Practice Guide for Local Listing

Listed Buildings in Northern Irleand: Environment Minister Edwin Poots has published new criteria for the listing of buildings that for the first time provides an in depth explanation of the criteria referred to on listing reports.

The Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill received Royal Assent on the 23 February. It is intended that the provisions of the Act will be brought into force by the Scottish Ministers on specific dates later this year. Information as to the timing of when provisions will be brought into force will be announced on the Historic Scotland website.

Practice

Stopping the Rot - an updated guide to enforcement action to save historic buildings from English Heritage.
English Heritage has funded a checklist full of advice and information which local heritage groups can work through to come up with solutions to help them increase and diversify membership in their local area.
English Heritage in partnership with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has published Knowing Your Place: Heritage and Community-Led Planning in the Countryside, designed to help rural communities in producing, reviewing or updating their community-led plans.
The National Heritage List for England is the new, searchable online database of 400,000 listed buildings, registered parks, gardens and battlefields, protected shipwrecks and scheduled monuments.
Valuing Places: Good Practice in Conservation Areas: says that many conservation areas in England are benefiting from the voluntary efforts of local people, working closely with local councils and supported by English Heritage research.
Sustainable Heritage Toolkit: The Prince's Regeneration Trust provides an on-line toolkit that gives exemplar case studies of how local authorities across the UK have successfully delivered sustainable outcomes for their heritage assets.
Energy Efficiency & Historic Buildings: technical advice to help prevent conflicts between the energy efficiency requirements in Part L of the Building Regulations and the conservation of historic and traditionally constructed buildings.
Reviving Britain's Terraces: Life after Pathfinder: SAVE's report on the “disastrous” Housing Market Renewal (Pathfinder) Initiative looks at ways good terraced housing earmarked for demolition can be adapted and upgraded to create exemplar 'eco-communities' of the future.
Signposting to more practice advice.

Networks

The RTPI Historic Environment Group provides a cross-profession route to keeping well informed on and influencing developing policy and practice. Join the network.

RTPI Projects and research

The RTPI's Seven Commitments on Climate Change seeks to ensure sustainability across all aspects of the built and natural environments.
The Historic Environment Group is compiling a series of webpages that will be of value to those working in or new to the sector - volunteers to contribute and/or monitor content are still required.

Our viewpoint

Planning is about effecting change not opposing it, but sensitively handled, change can benefit from a careful integration with the historic environment and, in turn, heritage assets can benefit local economies through tourism, sustainability and distinctiveness. We support the principle that legislation, policy and systems should afford statutory protection to historic buildings, conservation areas and monuments. The significance and protection of these places is and should continue to be a material consideration, to be responded to in development plans and supplementary policy making and in development management decision making.

MORE INFORmation/events/cpd

Get involved: email andrew.matheson@rtpi.org.uk

RTPI North West offers:
Heritage Assets & the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – Wednesday 9 May, Manchester
This heritage seminar will explore the effects and implications of the emerging NPPF within the context of prevailing legislation, PPS5 and the wider planning objective of ‘delivering sustainable development’.
RTPI Conferences offers:
Built Heritage Conservation – Wednesday 20 June, London
This workshop will explore emerging local and national initiatives that are intended to deliver better management of the historic environment on the ground.
View our events calendar for upcoming RTPI historic environment events