Heritage teams across Wales charged with protecting and restoring the nation\u2019s historic buildings are being left unstaffed amid cost-cutting.<\/p>\n
The Institute of Historic Building Conservation raised fears that local authorities were losing the ability to advise property owners on maintaining the nation\u2019s cultural legacy.<\/p>\n
The organisation\u2019s Wales spokesman, Nathan Blanchard, a heritage consultant from Conwy, said many councils lacked anyone with the necessary experience. \u00a0He said: \u201cThe main impact is that you\u2019re not going to have the embedded ability to offer advice to property owners and to ensure the historic environment dimension. If you don\u2019t have that embedded quality of advice within the local authority there is often a danger that you\u2019ll have decisions that are not fully informed. Without that level of advice you can get losses of listed buildings that are part of all our heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Blanchard said: “It is increasingly the case that conservation officers are not replaced when they leave a local authority.”<\/p>\n
Bridgend County Council\u2019s team leader for the environment Neil Sumner left several years ago after a re-organisation and was never replaced. The county is home to 361 listed buildings and 15 conservation areas.<\/p>\n
Mr Blanchard said: “Blaenau Gwent County Council has never had a conservation officer, but with just 53 listed buildings and one conservation area a full-time post would be difficult to justify.<\/p>\n
As part of their duties many conservation officers are expected to attract grant funding to local authorities to assist with heritage schemes. When these dry up the conservation officers themselves can find themselves out of a job.”<\/p>\n
Neither Flintshire nor Ceredigion, which have 2,904 listed buildings and 45 conservation areas between them, have conservation officers.<\/p>\n
Flintshire County Council\u2019s area includes St Winifred\u2019s Well in Holywell which Henry V visited in 1415 before his historic victory at Agincourt. The local authority has not had a conservation officer for a year.<\/p>\n
Ceredigion council, which has responsibility for the 5,500-acre Trawsgoed Mansion, in Cwm Ystwyth, near Aberystwyth, recently decided not to renew the contract of its conservation officer, Gary Cooper.<\/p>\n
Trawsgoed has links to Collwyn ap Tangno, founder of the fifth noble tribe of North Wales.<\/p>\n
Mr Blanchard said the IHBC recently asked Cadw \u2013 the historic buildings arm of the Welsh Assembly Government \u2013 to ‘undertake research on the extent to which conservation posts are in decline’. \u00a0But Mr Blanchard said that ‘the proposal was greeted with indifference’.<\/p>\n
Conservationist Mark Baker, who sits on the National Trust\u2019s Committee for Wales, suggested many current conservation officers lack the specialist knowledge they need. \u00a0Mr Baker, 25, who is doing a PhD on Welsh country homes at Cardiff University, said: \u201cI know that even when they have a conservation officer they usually don\u2019t have any conservation training.”<\/p>\n
Head of planning for Flintshire County Council Andrew Farrow said that ‘they had recently agreed to make a full-time appointment’. A spokesperson for Bridgend said that ‘they have adequate resources to protect the county\u2019s historic buildings and their townscape heritage scheme has won a number of awards’.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson from Cadw said: \u201cIt is for local authorities to set their own priorities in the light of local circumstances and available resources. Cadw has recently completed visits to every local planning authority to review each authority\u2019s approach to the conservation of the historic environment and to offer best practice advice and guidance to help further develop and strengthen existing practice. \u00a0This arrangement is set to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wales Online: LINK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Heritage teams across Wales charged with protecting and restoring the nation\u2019s historic buildings are being left unstaffed amid cost-cutting. The Institute of Historic Building Conservation raised fears that local authorities were losing the ability to advise property owners on maintaining … Continue reading