Heritage Assets and Regeneration

1. Heritage Assets and Regeneration Name Jon Ackroyd – Acting Team Leader, Design & Conservation, Planning Service City of Bradford MDC

2. Heritage Assets? The obvious built heritage: c.5800 listed buildings 59 conservation areas, all with character appraisals and a programme of review The less obvious: - 13 registered parks and landscapes - 203 scheduled monuments - 1 registered battlefield shared with Leeds and Kirklees

3. What value has heritage to regeneration? • Heritage provides sense of place • Assets illustrate historic development of our environment, of technology and industry, and reflect how we lived and worked. • Assets instil local identity and provide constants or landmarks in mental image of our environment. • Any change can be controversial, potential harm or loss often results in resistance or anger.

4. Heritage Regeneration… • Removes urban and visual blight. • Stimulates activity, economy and positive spiral– neighbouring refurbishments and contemporary new build have rejuvenated this city centre conservation area fronting onto a main arterial road. • Provides jobs and sustains craft skills – the middle 3/5 of the façade had to be taken down and rebuilt. • Promotes sustainability by re-using building stock.

5. Heritage Regeneration… • Provides new local landmarks and facilities – a new community health education centre and medical centre for a deprived city suburb. • Restores significant listed buildings at risk. • Removes blight. • Reinforces sense of place.

6. Heritage Regeneration… • Removes blight from local communities, restoring landmark buildings. • Achieves sustainability by re-using building stock. • Contributes to need for local housing – 11 high quality apartments created in a former Sunday School.

7. Heritage as the context • Historic buildings and areas often robust enough to take good contemporary intervention. • Proportionate intervention needed to ensure redundant buildings or deprived areas are rejuvenated.

8. Heritage as the catalyst • Exemplary design and quality stimulate regeneration and reinforce local distinctiveness. • Longevity assured through design and quality. • Feel-good factor and increased vitality stimulate continued regeneration and investment.

9. Making it happen…

10. Making it happen… • HLF THI funding for areas - £2 million for Keighley, £750,000 for Pontefract. • Engaging with community, positive guidance stimulating improvement – localism in action? English Heritage Capacity Building Grant. • Diversification – identifying new ways of achieving heritage benefits.

11. Making it happen… • 2 neighbouring buildings at risk, potential resort to powers under Listed Buildings Act and Building Act. • Receiving banks ultimately agreed to implement planning permissions to protect assets. • Court House conversion to 14 apartments, project cost £700,000. • York House conversion to 24 apartments, £990,000.

12. What Next? • Refurbish and adapt social housing with HCA funds? Integrate new housing, promote revitalisation of the conservation area. • How to facilitate regeneration of large obsolete heritage assets when borrowing stalled – new system of heritage loans through trusts or public/private partnerships? • The visual and dynamic benefits are clear, we must all work to make it happen.