Dec 30 2004
Heritage organisations across the country celebrate a heritage revolution, largely due to £3 billion of lottery investment.
A new report also shows how the heritage sector, including private owners and thousands of passionate volunteers, has helped transform the historic environment into a powerful force for social and economic renewal.
But the report also warns that this cannot be taken for granted – more needs to be done to realise the potential of heritage in the modern world and ensure its survival for future generations.
Heritage Counts 2004, the annual report on the state of England’s historic environment, is published by English Heritage on behalf of the heritage sector and reflects the enormous enthusiasm for the historic environment from the general public.
Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of the Heritage Forum, said: “Poll after poll shows that people care about England’s unique legacy of historic places and landscape. There has never been a better time to capitalise on public opinion. I urge the Government to take notice of the extent of public enthusiasm, and give heritage a central place on its agenda. If you sideline heritage you sideline the nation’s soul.”
Sir Neil continued: “There have been real achievements in the care and protection of the historic environment in recent years, spurred by £3 billion investment by the Heritage Lottery Fund. More importantly, the heritage sector has transformed the way it thinks. Our definition of heritage is now much broader, and we are more aware of the way it impacts on our daily lives. And as organisations we are far better able to exploit the potential of heritage to bring communities together and promote active citizenship through educational and outreach programmes.”
Benefits to people and places
Liz Forgan, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “We know how much people value what we fund, from city parks to seaside towns. We’re very proud that our funding is helping ordinary people and experts to open up and look at heritage in new ways. But we can’t be complacent as there is still so much to be done. Lottery funding will be essential in delivering this.”
Heritage Counts 2004 shows that this 10-year revolution has benefited people across the country. It contains many other examples of heritage investment that have produced remarkable social and economic benefits, such as bringing new vitality, job opportunities and income to run-down places. Around 40% of Heritage Fund Lottery (HLF) awards go to deprived communities.
New data on cathedrals are a social and economic asset
Heritage Counts 2004 contains the first comprehensive data showing the social and economic benefits that cathedrals have been able to deliver to surrounding communities. The research, based on a questionnaire sent to all 42 English Anglican cathedrals, demonstrates that cathedrals are directly responsible for generating local spending of £91 million a year. When indirect economic effects are considered, such as the amount spent by cathedrals to procure local services, the total annual economic impact rises to £150 million. This supports 5,500 permanent full time jobs.
Continuing needs and risks
Despite overwhelming evidence that heritage enhances quality of life, much of the nation’s heritage remains in a perilous state.
Heritage Counts 2004 makes available for the first time the information that there are more than 17,000 listed buildings of all grades at risk from neglect and decay in this country – indicating that the problem is of a much wider scale than previously thought.
There is no single national register for Grade II-listed buildings at risk in England (even though they represent 92% of listed buildings). Previously known figures about buildings at risk were based on English Heritage’s Buildings at Risk register which includes only Grade I and II* buildings.
The report also reveals that funding is a major cause for concern. Almost two-thirds of public funds available for the repair of historic buildings come from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This heavy dependence highlights the limited funding to be found elsewhere, and the risks the historic environment would face if HLF funding was jeopardised.
English Heritage grants, one of few sources from which private owners can get assistance for repairing historic buildings, have been declining in real terms for the last five years, despite the fact that an estimated two-thirds of the historic environment is in private hands.
Sir Neil concluded: “The historic environment is one of England’s greatest assets, and the most immediate and accessible public experience, providing the everyday context in which we all live our lives. Every historic site lost or disfigured by development diminishes us. By articulating the historic environment’s benefits in facts and figures, we hope that the Government will accept them as hard evidence that heritage does count.”
http://www.hlf.org.uk