The Civic Voice (CV) at its recent AGM in Chester, attended on behalf of the IHBC by membership assessor Keith Parsons, warmly welcomed the IHBC’s recent allocation of £2,500 to support celebrations in 2017 of the 50th anniversary of Conservation Areas, many of which will no doubt be part of CV’s ‘Big Conservation Conversation’.
Picture: First designated conservation area in Stamford (Photo courtesy Civic Voice)
The Civic Voice writes of its AGM:
It was also announced in connection with the Big Conservation Conversation that IHBC has launched a fund allocation of up to £2,500 for Civic Societies and Trusts in England Scotland and Wales seeking help on local celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the introduction of Conservation Areas, with a prize of a place at the IHBC’s Annual School on offer for the most effective project.
The awards are promoted in partnership with the national link civic bodies representing the countries covered by the 1967 Civic Amenities Act (which did not cover Northern Ireland) that gave rise to the first Conservation Areas.
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly said: ‘The pressures Conservation Areas face today are as serious as they have ever been.’
‘This allocation by IHBC trustees will help underpin local public interest in these designations. They should also help raise social and political awareness of the benefits they can bring to local communities in all their 21st century diversity, at least when properly managed and supported’.
‘We are hugely grateful to our national civic trust partners in England, Scotland and Wales, for supporting this important initiative, and look forward to hearing the exciting plans that local trusts will bring forward. We will of course keep members and the wider public up to date on our website page.’
Ian Harvey, Executive Director of Civic Voice said: ‘Designating a conservation area should not be seen as an end in itself: we live in a changing world and for the historic environment to survive and continue to be cherished it needs to be positively managed. We want communities across the country to come together and get involved in the Big Conservation Conversation. We are delighted that the IHBC have taken this initiative to support communities in saying ‘My Conservation Area Matters’’.
Find out more about the CV’s Big Conservation Conversation
For more background see the NewsBlogs
Find out more about the Award and APPLY
