REVIT Heritage Report.pdf

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Torfaen County Borough Council REVIT: A Review of the Conservation of Industrial Heritage Assets on Brownfield Sites 2 Linking Industrial Heritage and Regeneration 2.1 Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development 2.1.1 The European Heritage Conservation Year 1975 was a defining point in Europe’s change of attitude toward the historic landscape and a more questioning approach to unsustainable growth. In some countries of the European Union, large numbers of historic, and therefore architectural and archaeological sites, have been destroyed in the course of urban revival, economic expansion and road construction in the post-war period up to the 1970s. 2.1.2 The growth of heritage-led regeneration protection has frequently caused the reconsideration of urban renewal and state development policies as a whole. It has also led to more sustainable policies for the regeneration of historic landscapes to be adopted. 2.1.3 As a result the conservation and protection of cultural heritage is no longer considered to be an obstacle, but the driving force of urban development; the source of attractiveness of towns and cities and a landscape’s uniqueness. New laws, administrative measures, state funding programmes and tax relief polices were instituted to promote sustainable conservation and protection of cultural heritage remains across the European Union and also to highlight the importance of conservation and protection of the cultural heritage. 2.1.4 This trend matured and flourished in the 1980s, preserving historic the layout of towns and cities, carefully renewing the fabric of old buildings, integrating important architectural heritage sites, making use of growth potential in order to revive old buildings which are the basis of this policy of sustainable development. 2.1.5 Over 100 years the decline and redundancy of large-scale manufacturing and mining industries in the great economies of Western Europe has left a gap in employment and land-use which is ripe for regeneration. At the same time the benefits were appreciated of preserving and conserving our cultural heritage in terms of the economic benefits, lifestyle and re-use of existing buildings against re-development. 2.1.6 The definition of industrial heritage must be considered as broad as possible and encompass important features such as buildings, bridges, viaducts, aqueducts, leats, balance ponds, parks, landscapes, museums, archives, townscapes, waterways and archaeology, whether of local or national importance, as well as intangible heritage such as language or oral traditions. The emphasise has to be the need to deliver benefits to people as well as to places and deliver not just conservation, but greater access and involvement for communities and new economically sustainable uses for historic places. 2.1.7 Historic places, buildings, landscapes or townscapes, are part of a wider heritage and people often relate strongly to the places where they live or were brought up. Historic buildings or features contribute to the distinctiveness and identity of places, and can be a source of history and meaning for people. Heritage adds depth, character and value to places. Individual owners may bear the cost of caring for a historic place, but the benefits accrue to the wider community. This is why there is often a case for subsidy or regulation to correct a failure of the market. 0014021/JM/001 3
Torfaen County Borough Council REVIT: A Review of the Conservation of Industrial Heritage Assets on Brownfield Sites 2.1.8 Historic buildings also have an important role to play in developing sustainable communities. One requirement of sustainable development is that buildings minimise the use of resources during construction and over time. Historic buildings represent embodied energy and to recycle them is to capitalise on investment and energy that has already been expended. Demolition of such structures is, therefore, an extremely wasteful exercise, particularly when followed by new-build. 2.1.9 Recent research carried out by the Building Research Establishment in Britain (BRE) has shown that a typical Victorian-era house contains energy equivalent to 15,000 litres of petrol (EH, 2003). When seen in these terms, it is clear that urban regeneration schemes should not just be about creative new designs but should always include historic buildings for their positive impact on the natural environment and our finite energy sources. 2.1.10 One of the Key issues identified by the Working Group “Brownfield Redevelopment” (CLARINET) was: “Development of methods and skills to respond to the increasing importance of preserving the industrial heritage in Brownfield projects”. 2.1.11 In addition relevant objectives to industrial heritage include: • restricting Greenfield consumption by re-using Brownfields; • preserving the architectural heritage of the industrial revolution by finding new uses for historic industrial buildings; • increasing the skills of unemployed people by derelict land recycling, via the creation of new employment opportunities and • improvement of environmental quality e.g. by encapsulating or removing contaminated soil and restoring the landscape distorted by industrial use. 2.1.12 The contribution of heritage to Brownfield regeneration includes: • provide a community focus for regeneration and act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area; • create employment and contribute to a fall in vacancy rates in the nearby business premises; • contribute to attractive living and working conditions; • encourage sustainable tourism; • enhance people's quality of life; • contribute to social inclusion, learning, health and safe environments; • contribute to local distinctiveness by linking a place with its industrial past • develop skills 0014021/JM/001 4
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