Seán O’Reilly, IHBC director, has warmly welcomed the introduction of a new conservation resource for masterplanning, jointly produced by EH and HCA, entitled ‘Capitalising on the inherited landscape’.
“This will be a key tool in raising awareness of how conservation strategies can positively shape the built environment at the most strategic level’, Dr O’Reilly said. ‘Especially welcome is its adoption of a conservation-inspired ‘Framework’ for masterplanning, following the IHBC’s own criteria for assessing conservation competence.
We are delighted that both English Heritage and the HCA are endorsing the IHBC’s conservation criteria, principles and standards.
The work of our members over the recent years has delivered hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in historic areas across the UK. They’ve been working to the same conservation processes of evaluation, management and intervention – or process, integration & outcomes – expected by the HCA and EH. Such high level confirmation of our principles is particularly important for a small body such as the IHBC, even allowing that our membership is growing at about 10% a year.”
Dr O’Reilly added: “It is a little curious how it seems to polarise conservation and development in separate camps, when none other than the World Bank sees these common management principles simply as representing appropriate practice. The HCA’s masterplanning framework boasts the same international principles of conservation and environmental management that underpin those of the IHBC.”
HCA says:
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and English Heritage today launched its first joint ‘How to’ Guide outlining a new development-led approach to masterplanning, which advocates assessing the historic character of a site right at the earliest stages of redevelopment. This is set to transform the way sites are redeveloped.
The Guide, ‘Capitalising on the inherited landscape – an introduction to historic characterisation for masterplanning’ is the product of an innovative joint pilot project between the two agencies. This took the established conservation-led Historic Characterisation approach – encouraging the use of specific techniques to identify the distinctive characteristics of a site in order to explain an inherited sense of place and identity – as a starting point – and tested its value at different stages of the development process.
The pilot focused on three very different sites earmarked for future redevelopment under the HCA’s Hospital Sites portfolio: the former Graylingwell Hospital in Chichester, Hanham Hall near Bristol, and Prudhoe in the Tyne Valley. The sites were all of contrasting scale and context, and the Historic Characterisation methodology used was adapted in each case.
The main key finding indicates that Historic Characterisation is of greatest benefit when carried out in advance of detailed masterplanning so it can fully influence this process. In doing so, the historic environment informs future development plans, which can benefit from capitalising on the inherited historic landscape. The Guide also offers a way to contribute to UK implementation of the Council of Europe’s ‘European Landscape Convention’, which aims to shape and enhance future landscape and place in town as well as in country.
Robert Napier, Chairman of the HCA, said: “This important collaboration between the HCA and English Heritage makes a major contribution to how we masterplan and regenerate strategic sites; assisting us in our objective of helping deliver sustainable communities across England.
We anticipate that this development-led approach of undertaking historic characterisation prior to masterplanning will pave the way for widespread use across not only the HCA portfolio, but with our Single Conversation partners, including local authorities, across the wider planning sector. This, we hope, will transform the way that historic sites are redeveloped.”
The study also demonstrated that Historic Characterisation initiated before masterplanning:
– creates a strategic overview of a potential regeneration site that will act as a stepping stone to better development.
– guides further research and later stages of design and improve the quality of planning and place-making.
– helps minimise risks and delays to the development process.
These and other benefits identified by this development-led approach, together with lessons learned from the collaboration, are set out in the Guide.
Baroness Andrews, Chair of English Heritage, said: “It is extremely encouraging that organisations such as the HCA are making the link between heritage and regeneration when considering sites for redevelopment. We are delighted to have been working with the HCA, sharing our mutual skills and experiences in shaping better places for people to live and work.”
Download ‘Capitalising on the inherited landscape – an introduction to historic characterisation for masterplanning’ – PDF (2.38 MB) Click here
http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/hca-english-heritage-guidance?p=1
