As BBC2's Restoration series reaches its climax, a report published today by CPRE,{1} Heritage Link{2} and the National Trust{3} calls for greater recognition of, and protection for, the heritage that is all around us and is in real danger of neglect.

'Heritage is not only stately homes and castles, but includes everyday environments where people live and work,'{4} said Kate Gordon, CPRE Planning Officer.

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NOTE FOR EDITORS
Copies of Recharging the Power of Place: valuing local significance{5} summary and full report can be downloaded from CPRE's Website.

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The report, Recharging the Power of Place, highlights how almost every community has something from the past worth conserving. Lamp posts, traditional signs, distinctive buildings, ancient field systems, orchards – the range of features and landscapes that enrich local environments is enormous.

The report comes at a time when both the UK's planning system and its system for protecting the historic environment are undergoing major reforms.{6} Although the very best of our heritage is protected through statutory conservation controls.{7} Recharging the Power of Place highlights that much of the heritage that is of huge significance locally is completely unprotected and highly vulnerable.

Recharging the Power of Place: valuing local significance calls for:

• local communities' experience, knowledge and views about their local environment to be at the heart of decision-making;  
• widespread use of consultation techniques that engage people in planning the future of their areas;
• landscape and townscape characterisation to be an integral part of planning;{8}
• a conservation-led approach that recognises the value in assessing what we have, before deciding what to change;{9} and
• recognition and protection for locally valued heritage within the new planning system and Heritage White Paper.{10}

Kate Gordon commented:

'Changes to the planning system should be aiming to better care for historic environments everywhere. Sadly, this does not appear to be the case – indeed, at the moment, the Government is proposing to remove the main form of protection for locally significant landscapes.'{11}

Tony Burton, the National Trust's Director of Policy & Strategy, said:

'Local heritage helps create identity and enriches everyone's local environment. The Government needs to do much more to recognise and address the importance of the heritage on our doorstep. There is a real risk that large infrastructure projects like the Sustainable Communities Plan will be carried out without proper reference to local heritage and will fail as a result.'

Anthea Case, Chair of Heritage Link, said:

'Decisions affecting the historic environment tend to focus on an area's designated historic assets, but they need to reflect the value of the commonplace as well. Local communities attach enormous pride to features of their local historic environment – their value needs to be recognised and understood as does the role of the voluntary sector in helping identify and "give voice" to this passion for local places.'

Our historic environment is one of the main reasons people choose to go on holiday in this country, as millions from Britain and elsewhere are doing this month. Unless we take steps to protect the character of our landscapes, villages and towns, people are increasingly likely to take their holidays elsewhere in less unspoilt surroundings.

Kate Gordon added:

'All too often, changes to places result in the damage or loss of locally loved buildings and landscapes – those very features that with careful planning should provide the basis for lasting and positive change. The public place a very high value on heritage, as the TV series Restoration and numerous surveys have shown. We do not believe this is reflected in decision-making or in what happens on the ground.'

The report demonstrates, through examples, that across the country people are taking the initiative and willing to become involved where an opportunity exists for them to do so.

The Government has said it wishes to secure meaningful community involvement in planning{12} and ensure that policy making on heritage takes into account wider community values.{13} The report argues that as well as resources, the right institutional and regulatory structures need to be in place if we are to make the most of our local heritage and people's energy and enthusiasm and stem the current pattern of loss and decline many areas face.{14}

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The Campaign to Protect Rural England exists to promote the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country. We promote positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside to ensure change values its natural and built environment. Our Patron is Her Majesty The Queen. We have 59,000 supporters, a branch in every county, nine regional groups, over 200 local groups and a national office in London. CPRE is a powerful combination of effective local action and strong national campaigning. Our President is Sir Max Hastings.

2. Established in 2002, Heritage Link brings together more than 70 voluntary organisations in the heritage sector, united by their common interests in the historic environment. It aims to influence policy, underpin advocacy and increase capacity by providing a forum for members to promote policy on core issues and a network for sharing information to support members in their work. Heritage Link represents a wide spectrum of interest groups with an estimated combined membership of nearly 4 million.

3. The National Trust is a charity with over 3 million members that works to conserve and protect the coastline, countryside and buildings of England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the benefit of the nation. It cares for over 248,000 hectares of beautiful countryside, plus almost 600 miles of coastline and more than 200 buildings and gardens of outstanding interest and importance.

4. A survey conducted by MORI for English Heritage found that 9 out 10 people consider their local area counted as heritage as much as stately homes and castles (Heritage Counts, English Heritage, 2003).

5. Copies of Recharging the Power of Place: valuing local significance are available to the public from CPRE Publications, 128 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SW priced £5.00 or downloadable free from www.cpre.org.uk

6. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 will introduce sweeping changes. These include the abolition of county structure plans and the introduction of Local Development Frameworks. The Government is also proposing to change the way the historic environment is protected. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport decision report The Heritage Protection Review: the way forward (June 2004) includes proposals to merge conservation control and designation regimes and to create a single list of historic sites and buildings. Absent from the report is the need to recognise or protect undesignated but locally valued heritage.

7. The main conservation controls are Listed Building Consent, Conservation Area Consent and Scheduled Monument Consent. Special restrictions apply to Registered Parks and Gardens and landscape designations such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks.

8. Landscape Characterisation is a way of assessing landscape character which can be used to inform decision making and planning. 

9. A conservation-led approach is about making the best use of heritage assets and ensuring change is sympathetic to and enhances, rather than detracts from, the historic environment.

10. The recently published DCMS report The Heritage Protection Review: the way forward indicated that a Heritage White Paper is likely to be published next year. 

11. Changes proposed in the Government's draft Planning Policy Statement 7 Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (ODPM, 2003) will mean that local authorities will no longer be able to designate landscapes of local importance, for example as Areas of Great Landscape Value. Landscapes that are worthy of being protected, but do not meet strict criteria for designation as National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty will become vulnerable to insensitive change and damaging development.

12. The ODPM's Draft Guide to Procedures; Code of Practice on Local Development Frameworks (which will replace Local Plans and Unitary Development Plans under the Planning reforms and will guide the determination of planning applications) stresses the need for continuous community involvement and states that 'there should be meaningful involvement by all with an interest in the future development of the area throughout the preparation of local development documents' (page 23).

13. See the White Paper A Force for Our Future, (Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Department of Transport Local Government and the Regions, 2001, page 30) which states: 'Yet the value a community places on a particular aspect of its immediate environment might be a critical factor in getting that community to engage in local planning or regeneration issues. The Government wants to ensure that policy-making in this area takes proper account of this wider perception.'

14. The CPRE Market Towns Survey – a survey published in 2004 of over 100 market towns demonstrated widespread loss of local distinctiveness. The planning system and conservation controls are vital for protecting local character through preventing poorly designed and inappropriately located development.