CLA welcomes the new Heritage Protection Bill

The CLA (Country Land and Business Association) has welcomed the draft Heritage Protection Bill published today (Wednesday, 2 April) – while saying it does not go far enough.

CLA Deputy President William Worsley said: "Historic buildings are more popular than ever but, despite that, many buildings throughout England and Wales, not least our unique legacy of traditional farm buildings, are at risk.

"What is needed – particularly now that historic building grants to owners have all but dried up – is a heritage protection system which safeguards what is of real significance while also allowing carefully considered change to keep historic buildings relevant and financially viable. The current system is too opaque and complicated and simply not achieving this."

The draft Bill will create a new system based on a unified register for historic assets, replacing the current separate systems of listing, scheduling, and registering. For the first time it also gives owners of historic buildings rights of consultation before they are listed and rights of appeal afterwards."

Mr Worsley added that the CLA has some concerns about the details of the Bill.

He added: "The problem is what is not in the Bill. As a Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Bill, it only covers what the DCMS does - the designation of heritage.

"What matters more to buildings in practice is what happens when they need to be changed to make them relevant to the future. This is part of the planning system and run by local government, both outside the DCMS's remit.

"This is where the system is not working – especially because of lack of resourcing in the local authorities who operate it. It is hard to see how the Bill can change this, especially because it devolves even more decision-taking to hard-pressed local authorities. Nevertheless, this long-awaited Bill is a significant step forward."