In a recent issue of IHBC’s Context – on the Scottish Highlands and Islands – Cliff Hague, past President of the RTPI, explains how there are few places in the world that better encompass the challenges of conservation than northern Scotland, and lessons in managing assets (where heritage resources are many, yet economic resources are pressured).
image: Fiona Newton
Cliff looks at a diverse range of issues which can affect development and conservation, including the effect of organisational operational changes (the rationalisation of the Justice system closing local courts to focus on larger and more central facilities), the development of accommodation for tourism (AirBnB is increasingly becoming a planning related issue in many areas) and the impact of grant schemes on the care and repair of properties within small towns.
So why not spend some time learning about a new geographical area, and considering how these same challenges apply in the area where you work?
For example:
- How do we ensure that our historic towns and villages offer an authentic tourism experience?
- In employment terms, across the Highlands and Islands, tourism is second only to health and social care, providing 33,100 jobs however the success of a destination does not necessarily ensure the viability of an attraction, but what are the tourism challenges within the area where you work?
