The Canterbury Society and the Alliance of Historic Cathedral Cities and Towns Jan Pahl and John Walker SE Historic Environment Forum 15 November 2017
Aims of the presentation Our aim today is to: Introduce the Canterbury Society Introduce the Alliance for Historic Cathedral Cities and Towns (ACT) Outline the work of ACT and present results from a recent survey Briefly outline ACT plans for research and action with regard to heritage
Introducing Canterbury A Roman town, a medieval walled city, a centre for pilgrimage and a World Heritage site Current population of the city c 50,000, plus around 35,000 students in three universities Local Plan for an extra 16,000+ new homes in the district, 8000 of which are on the outskirts of Canterbury city Issues around traffic congestion, air pollution, design of new developments, impact of students, loss of funding to the local authority
The Canterbury Society Re-started in 2008 now has 400+ members Aim: to campaign to improve the quality of life in Canterbury Issues: planning and the built environment, heritage, traffic and air quality, public open spaces, design and shop fronts, litter and graffiti Responsible for running the Heritage Open Days Concerned about the impact of growth on historic places such as Canterbury
The Alliance of Historic Cathedral Cities and Towns (ACT) was set up by the Canterbury Society when we realised that other historic places were faced with unprecedented growth Starting in 2014 its aim was to: bring together civic societies across England to share ideas about the challenges facing historic cities and towns research possible solutions to those challenges represent historic places and give them more power to shape their future and to protect their heritage
Concerns about historic cathedral cities and towns Several studies have already highlighted the challenges: Bate, R. and Burton-Pye, D. (2014) The Sustainable Growth of Cathedral Cities and Historic Towns, Green Balance, Farrell Review (2013) Architecture and the Built Environment Foster and Partners (2015) Cathedral Cities in Peril, Kenwood House Group Many civic societies were concerned about the pressure on historic cities and towns, but the nature and extent of their concerns were unknown, which led ACT to set up a survey
Survey design and method The survey was designed by the ACT Steering Group and administered on-line by Civic Voice in 2016 The questionnaire was circulated to civic societies in historic cities and towns and was promoted through the Civic Voice newsletter: Questions were asked about: the civic societies which responded the places they represented and local planning current issues and heritage management
Progress with the Local Plan Only 27 per cent of those responding had a full Local Plan in place 32 per cent had partially completed Local Plans 36 per cent had Local Plans in preparation. A few have no Plan
Dwellings proposed in the Local Plan Two thirds of those responding said that the Local Plan proposed the building of over 10,000 dwellings
Current issues: most serious Nearly half of those responding said the following issues were very serious : Pressure for growth impacting on the historic environment Provision of infrastructure Design and quality of new buildings Lack of affordable housing
Current issues: other concerns Other issues regarded as serious included: Neglect of the historic environment Traffic congestion Air quality Building on green field sites
Management of heritage: strengths Three quarters of places had a Conservation Officer in post Nearly half had a Design Review Panel or something similar
Management of heritage: weaknesses Few historic towns and cities had a positive strategy for the historic environment, as recommended in the NPPF Very few reported that councilors had training in heritage expertise In recommendations to Planning Committees, heritage considerations were not always highlighted Only one Local Plan Inspector was qualified in heritage or conservation expertise
Conclusions of the survey Many historic towns and cities are experiencing great pressure for growth and for house building Many are worried that the planning of infrastructure is not keeping pace with this growth Given such a pressure to build, the design and quality of new dwellings is a widespread concern, as is the lack of affordable housing Though many employ conservation officers, few places had a positive strategy for the historic built environment or councilors with training in heritage expertise
Some recommendations arising from the survey Strengthen the NPPF so that more protection is given to historic cathedral cities and towns and conservation areas Promote training in heritage expertise for local councilors and support the appointment of Heritage Champions Encourage officers to include heritage considerations in their recommendations to the Planning Committee Ensure that Local Plan Inspectors dealing with historic towns and cities are qualified in heritage issues
Strengthening the NPPF: 1 Following the survey, ACT was asked by Historic England to suggest changes in the NPPF. Our proposals include: Emphasising the value of cultural/historic concerns in planning and development, as a key source of prosperity Urging local authorities to seek to conserve the historic environment, as a key driver of economic growth Obtaining professional advice on development proposals affecting the historic environment Stressing that a good public realm is part of our national infrastructure and is important in economic regeneration
Strengthening the NPPF: 2 Emphasising that prosperity and growth in historic towns depends on the protection of the qualities which attract businesses and tourists to heritage places Urging better enforcement of planning conditions, especially where neglect can damage the historic built environment Ensuring that local planning authorities have suitably qualified staff, or access to appropriate expertise, to advise on conservation, design and craft skills Working so that new developments are built to high standards to become the conservation areas of the future
Future research: overview Following our survey, ACT was asked by Historic England to propose more detailed research on the issues facing historic cathedral cities and towns We are currently discussing a research proposal with Richard Bate, of Green Balance, who has carried out research on The Sustainable Growth of Cathedral Cities and Historic Towns If funded, the research will be carried out by the ACT Steering Group, with Richard Bate as lead researcher
Future research: aims and methods If funded, the aims of the research will be: To identify the types of growth and change which sustain the character of historic cathedral cities and towns To explore what kind of development risks damaging these places, and what can be done to mitigate such damage The methods of the research will include: Case studies in 10 historic places, chosen to represent a variety of situations, and interviews with key people Our overall aim is to influence policy at national level in order to protect and enhance our historic cathedral cities and towns
Thank you for listening Any questions or comments?