Knowing Your Place – heritage and community led planning in the countryside Cotswolds AONB Annual Forum, March 2011 Rohan Torkildsen, Planning Adviser, English Heritage

Introduction/purpose/content Context Recent practice The case for considering heritage in community led planning ACRE EH guidance – Knowing Your Place Relevance to the Cotswolds Minster Lovell hall

Context Localism agenda A history of community led planning practice Learning from past practice Supporting better practice

The case for considering heritage A collective passion A community cause An educator An income generator A place shaper

Why should a community worry about its past? Without an understanding of ones heritage, well intended recommendations and actions could cause damage that might be difficult or impossible to put right. Inform change Bring people together Inspire and stimulate

change A rolling stone gathers no moss Haste makes waste

change

Key research findings 80% of the 964 community led plans considered had little or no HE content even though many will seek to influence physical development. Only 10% of VDS had little or no HE content (because VDS more concerned with physical change and environmental quality). Inconsistent - the type of HE content varies widely.

Key research findings 95% of VDS failed to recognize the SMR, HER. Poorly signposted to authoritative HE info. Archeology, the historic morphology or historic landscape features were rarely addressed. 60% of VDS failed to consider the historic townscape. Clearly a missed opportunity.

Key research findings There was a general theme of disappointment that having expended considerable time and effort in producing community led plans LAs did not pay more attention to them. Guidance and support clearly needed to realise the considerable potential for opening community’s eyes to all the different aspects of the HE.

ACRE Action with communities in rural England ACRE produce the primary national guidance for local communities to undertake community led plans.

Where to find Knowing Your Place

Knowing Your Place - heritage and community led planning in the countryside Complement and augment the ACRE guidance and other more local guidance Encourage people to consider their past, and really get to know the place they live in. Includes a series of easy to use checklists Signpost sources to help communities identify local heritage without having to employ professional help. Shows what to look for and how to consider it. How to recognise opportunities make recommendations

Key advice within Knowing Your Place Don’t forget, the historic environment is a broad term. Don’t get bogged down. Learn from others. Appreciate where to access heritage information Consider the often overlooked

Knowing Your Place – greater detailed advice… How to consider, understand, and respond to: landscape, village layout, historic buildings, places of worship, character and townscape, green spaces, views, conservation areas, archaeology… Campden house lodges and gateway

Recognising opportunities and making recommendations Responding to condition of the HE Considering a local list Suggesting new uses for historic buildings Action in conservation areas Taking ownership Improving places of worship Encouraging good design Action to enhance streetscape Maintaining heritage in the surrounding landscape Improving interpretation and understanding Funding

Community led planning in the Cotswolds? Complements the AONB management plan It can show local communities how they can consider heritage if/when planning independently at the local level Indicates the broad range of sources of historic information and advice available. It may help inform the review of the AONB management plan (runs until 2013) It can provide evidence to inform emerging LDFs

In summary The value of understanding the historic evolution of a place as a basis for making design recommendations about change cannot be underestimated. Ltd HE recognition in CLP to date = a lost opportunity. Hopefully, Knowing Your Place will help demonstrate how this may be put right.

Thank you