{"id":4851,"date":"2012-10-05T16:49:55","date_gmt":"2012-10-05T16:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ihbconline.co.uk\/newsachive\/?p=4851"},"modified":"2012-10-05T17:31:09","modified_gmt":"2012-10-05T17:31:09","slug":"ihbc-welcomes-valuing-of-quality-conservation-services-in-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=4851","title":{"rendered":"IHBC welcomes valuing of \u2018quality conservation services\u2019 in Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"

The IHBC has warmly welcomed recent research that pins down public endorsement and appreciation of the quality and value of conservation services by communities in Wales.<\/span><\/p>\n

The report, entitled \u2018Public Attitudes towards the Planning System in Wales\u2019, was produced as part of the review of planning in Wales. It highlights the extent to which communities and individuals value the benefits of quality conservation services.<\/p>\n

IHBC President Trefor Thorpe said: \u2018It is refreshing to see such a vote of appreciation for the hard work of our members, especially when it comes directly from the communities they support. And there is an added satisfaction when, as here, it is based on a rigorous methodology backed up by the Government. This is a big boost for all our members in Wales as, whether working in local or central government, or in the private sector, they all play critical roles in securing this kind of positive feedback.\u2019<\/p>\n

IHBC Branch trustee Nathan Blanchard said: \u2018This all makes for particularly interesting reading for conservation specialists working in the built environment. It is especially useful for providing important context to underpinning elements of the IHBC\u2019s recent survey of conservation services capacity in Wales, as well as for pinpointing successes as part of the wider review of planning in Wales.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Of all aspects of planning, the report demonstrates, conservation and preservation of the built and natural environment attracted the greatest level of satisfaction (56%) and lowest dissatisfaction (19%) across those involved in the workshops. This clearly points to a system that generally works well, and no doubt this is to some substantial extent as a result of the role of skilled Conservation Officers in local government.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Clearly, by that measure too, reduction in or radical change to key staff will only damage the one part of the planning system that appears to be working better, and has least issues for its customers and clients.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018This success is even clearer when those responses linked to Haverfordwest identify the importance of conservation. This is probably down to a combination of a very active and strong team in Pembrokeshire and a recent THI, again raising the issue that where conservation-led investment is undertaken this raises the profile and community understanding of the value of conservation. By contrast where there has been no conservation-led regeneration, the value of conservation is not rated as highly because the communities are less aware of its potential.\u2019<\/p>\n

IHBC Director Se\u00e1n O\u2019Reilly reinforced the case through comparison with the situation in England: \u2018The devastating drop in England\u2019s conservation service infrastructure in recent years \u2013 exemplified by the 31% drop in overall capacity since 2006 \u2013 means that England\u2019s government has had to look at dramatic alternatives to \u2018correct\u2019 the depredations wrought there.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Unfortunately, with a long legacy of under-investment in England and, linked to that, client frustration, in too many places the benefits of quality conservation have been forgotten. To counteract the loss in service, government has fired off a scatter-gun of alternatives, of which the most asinine was the recent proposal by the DCMS for self-certification by the private sector of public interest.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018The IHBC and our diverse partners that also help care for our places are all clear about the potential for better processes \u2013 including improved transparency and the benefits of closer partnering between the private and public sectors. However the report from Wales is a timely reminder that the starting point for success in securing conservation in the public interest is a credible conservation service, local, informed and independent\u2019.<\/p>\n

Selections from the report<\/span>:
\n1.8\u2026 Satisfaction was highest with conservation and preservation of the built \/ natural environment, ensuring energy supplies and how transport issues were being addressed, while satisfaction was lowest with economic development and town centre decline.<\/p>\n

5.9.1 In general, participants recognised the conservation and preservation of the natural and built environment as an important asset to the economy in Wales. The small number of specific examples of planning\u2019s role in this respect included: Cadw which was \u2018doing a good job\u2019; a local leisure resort which had involved schoolchildren in planting woodland (although it was also cited for allegedly destroying ancient woodland as part of the development); and Shire Hall in Haverfordwest, where a \u2018rejected planning application\u2019 from a local developer was welcomed.<\/p>\n

For a background to the report see: LINK<\/a> and\u00a0LINK<\/a><\/p>\n

Download the report here<\/span>: LINK<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The IHBC has warmly welcomed recent research that pins down public endorsement and appreciation of the quality and value of conservation services by communities in Wales. The report, entitled \u2018Public Attitudes towards the Planning System in Wales\u2019, was produced as … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sector-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4851"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4858,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4851\/revisions\/4858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}