Objection to PPS15

A TOMBSTONE FOR THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT NOT A MILESTONE

On 24 July the Department of Communities and Local Government issued a press release, saying that the newly proposed national policy on conservation was ready for public consultation. The Consultation concludes 30th October 2009.

It all sounded wonderful, John Healey, the Housing and Planning Minister said that the new policy would make the most of the nation’s historic assets across the country: “we need to conserve and protect our historic assets for future generations.”

However, if this policy is agreed, the opposite will happen, developers will be able to drive a coach and horses through any heritage and conservation protection – it is a developers’ charter. This new policy dismantles all the heritage and conservation protection which the current policy provides.

Why? The current policy PPG15, makes it clear that when a planning application is decided and everything is taken into consideration, then the issues of heritage and conservation can take precedence because of the stated benefits they provide and because historic assets are often irreplaceable. For example, PPG 15 3.19 states that “subjective claims for the architectural merits of proposed replacement buildings should NOT in themselves be held to justify demolition of any listed building.”

The proposed new policy PPS 15 HE9.10 says: “Where loss of significance is justified on the merits of new development ....”. HE 9.8 says: “it can be demonstrated that the material harm to or removal of significance is outweighed by the wider social, economic and environmental benefits, including climate change, that will be delivered by the proposed development.” [The consultation document defines significance as: “The value of a place to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. That may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic.]

This means that planning departments can put social, economic and environmental considerations above those of heritage and conservation, opening up the floodgates to unsuitable development, and PPS15 says nothing about the innate value of historic buildings. For example, we are told that historic buildings can be lost to reduce carbon emissions with no mention of the innate sustainability of retaining historic buildings and we are told that historic buildings can be replaced to achieve social benefits with no mention of the social and economic benefits of our heritage.

Local Authorities will get the short term gain of meeting government targets, while the community loses the long term gain provided by living with heritage. The proposed new policy ignores the innate value of our historic environment and the social benefits that it provides – a civic pride, sense of identity, place, culture, history.

Culture Minister Barbara Follett said: “Historic places are a vital part of living communities. They inspire and delight those who work in them .... This is a major milestone in the Government’s Heritage Protection Reform.” Not a major milestone but a major tombstone.

Don’t be duped by the government – there is a guided consultation available on the internet see:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.20037 (A clickable version of this link is at the top of this page)

– 73 pages, no hard copy is easily available. If you prefer, you could send in your own objection, to: either phil.weatherby@communities.gsi.gov.uk or Mr Phil Weatherby, Communities and Local Government, Planning Systems Improvement Division, Eland House, Bressenden Place, LONDON SW1E 5DU.

Lobby your MP .

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