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English Heritage
was asked in February 2000 by the Government jointly through the
Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of the
Environment, Transport and the Regions to co-ordinate an
important and wide-ranging Review of all policies relating to the
historic environment This to include archaeology, buildings,
landscapes and everyone living in or visiting England.
The aim was for
the Review to lead to the development of a new national strategy
for the historic environment with a report submitted to the
Government on 27 November 2000 (11 December) and published as a
public document on 30 November 2000 (14 December). The Government
will publish its response by March 2001, setting out the
direction it will take with heritage policy. A Steering Group,
chaired by English Heritage Chairman Sir Neil Cossons oversaw the
work of the Review. It included members of key heritage and
environment bodies in England, as well as observers from the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of the
Environment, Transport and the Regions.
When
– timing?
The Review carried out an initial stage of consultation in
February and March 2000 to determine its broad scope. Five
Working Groups, with members drawn widely from heritage,
regeneration, environmental and related fields, produced five
Discussion Papers:
- Understanding
- Belonging
- Experiencing
- Caring
- Enriching
They were
supported by an introductory paper (‘Our Questions for you’)
and formed the basis of the Review’s main consultation, which
started on 26 June 2000. In parallel, English Heritage
commissioned innovative research by MORI into public attitudes to
the historic environment, to illuminate further the results of
the consultation.
‘Power
of Place’ – The Report
Power of Place is the report of the Review of Policies relating
to the Historic Environment that English Heritage was asked to
carry out. The report has been submitted to Government as the
first step towards a new strategy for the historic environment.
The report was
delivered to ministers on 11 December and published on the 14th.
It makes clear recommendations to the Government on how the
future of the historic environment can be secured and its
contribution to economic, social and cultural well-being can be
maximised.
The Government’s
response is now awaited, with their future strategy and action
for the historic environment in Spring (March 2001)
Some
of the key points identified in the report
What is the Historic Environment and Why does it matter?
- Power of Place is about the
future of England’s historic environment.
- Historic environment is what
generations of people have made of places they inhabit.
- For most people this
historic environment is the place where they live.
- Historic environment is an
incomparable source of information.
- Although most people value
the historic environment this does not represent
resistance to change.
- Decisions about the future
of the historic environment largely rest upon value
judgements.
- Above all people care about
the historic environment.
- The future is not secure.
- Like people, places have to
evolve, react and grow.
- We need to understand better
the character of places.
- Heritage organisations must
work more in partner-ship.
- Before we do anything we
need knowledge.
- Secondly we need leadership.
- We do not expect this to
happen overnight but many of our recommendations can be
acted on immediately.
Main
recommendations
- Put conservation at the
heart of renewal and regeneration.
- Encourage the repair and use
of neglected buildings.
- Clear the backlog of
repairs.
- Provide more support for
rural, coastal and marine environments.
- Promote good design that
enhances its context.
- Encourage better
maintenance.
- Promote conservation
training and craft skills.
- Place the historic
environment at the heart of education.
- Remove barriers to access.
- Enable more people to
participate.
- Support the voluntary
sector.
- Make more use of character
appraisal.
- Make the regulatory system
work better.
- Encourage research and
scholarship to underpin conservation.
- Publish regular state of the
historic environment reports.
- Create an historic
environment information network
- Support local leaders.
- The Government should lead
by example.
Action
Recommendations for Action were made in four sub-sections linked
to the total of 18 main recommendations made in the earlier text:
3.1 for Government
3.2 for the heritage Sector
3.3 for local authorities and regional bodies
3.4 for owners
Full text
available on the English Heritage web-page: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
or a copy can be obtained by calling English Heritage Customer
Services on 0870 333 1181.
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