The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), the professional body for the UK’s built and historic environment conservation specialists, has welcomed the new framework for regeneration in Wales but warns that the re-location of the heritage portfolio outside the regeneration portfolio could make achieving sustainable development more difficult.
Chair of the IHBC, Jo Evans, said: ‘We warmly welcome the Welsh Government’s new holistic approach to regeneration as it places the historic environment and heritage at the heart of regeneration, in particular identifying its role in understanding place and helping to define local distinctiveness. That strategy is a critical a precursor to any regeneration activity’.
‘Indeed the World Bank itself endorses such a measured and integrated approach, which is why the IHBC has adopted the World Bank’s model in guiding members’ skills. This way we can be sure to maximise the potential of heritage and regeneration to underpin communities and give new life to redundant and underused buildings, supporting businesses and creating jobs. So this new regeneration framework is good news for our past and its future.’
‘The challenge will be to embed this new approach within regeneration activities on the ground, as well as across wider government agendas, and we look forward to working with Cadw and our members in Wales in realising this ambition over the coming years.’
‘However – and this may be critical to success – in the more recent reshuffle of government portfolios heritage has been separated from the regeneration agenda and positioned under a Culture & Sport portfolio. This could be a major set-back, as heritage is about more than cultural icons and museums! Heritage is about the critical effort we must make to revitalise our towns and villages, find sustainable growth in our economy and deliver new skilled jobs. This move could make it much harder to integrate the sustainable benefits inherent in the historic environment across government’s regeneration priorities’.
For the regeneration strategy see: LINK & LINK
Search Planning Portal: LINK
For the reshuffle see: LINK
